On June 12, Afghan Special Immigrant Visa applicant Sayed Naser was arrested by masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials outside an immigration courtroom in San Diego. Before Naser’s arrest, government officials motioned to dismiss his asylum case.

Naser’s arrival in the United States came on the heels of years of fear and uncertainty following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021. On his SIV application, Naser cited multiple years of work for the U.S. government as a translator and logistics contractor, which reportedly put him in the Taliban’s sights.

Recommended Stories

• When will the B-2s return to Iran?
• America can lead the world on nuclear energy
• Clint Eastwood's worthy new biography

In 2023, Naser’s brother, also a colleague, was murdered by the Taliban at a family wedding. Fearing for his life, Naser fled to Iran with his family, sought a humanitarian visa to Brazil, and made his way to the U.S.-Mexico border. In Mexico, Naser waited for an appointment through the now-defunct CBP One app and entered the U.S. in July 2024.

At least 8,100 Afghans are known to have entered the U.S. between 2021 and the end of July 2024. Customs and Border Protection has not been able to answer questions in the past about how many of those arrivals were SIV or U.S. Refugee Admissions Program applicants.

Many immigrants, including Naser, who were paroled into the country through CBP One received notice in early 2025 that their parole was revoked, warning them to return to their homeland through the renamed CBP Home app. Returning to his homeland was an unsafe option for Naser, whose surviving brother was granted asylum in the U.S. two months ago.

Acknowledging heightened immigration concerns for our allies and in direct response to Naser’s arrest, the nonprofit groups Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and #AfghanEvac teamed up to create Battle Buddies. The program allows veterans to sign up to accompany our Afghan allies to immigration court hearings.

Shawn VanDiver, the president of #AfghanEvac, said the initiative was intended “to ensure that no Afghan wartime ally ever stands alone in immigration. No slogans, no confrontations, just presence.”

IAVA CEO Kyleanne Hunter told the press that Battle Buddies is merely a “temporary, stop-gap measure” but that it is “important, both symbolically and procedurally” that “our Afghan allies know that even in the midst of uncertainty … we as veterans have not abandoned them, that we have not forgotten the sacrifices that they have made.”

Hunter said Battle Buddies is not political, but personal for many veterans of the post-9/11 era. She cited a recent survey of the organization’s members which found that “72 percent of post-9/11 veterans believed that we need to be doing more for our Afghan allies, that we need to be making pathways here easier, that we need to be reducing the bureaucracy in order to honor the promises that we made to these brave men and women who served alongside us.”

Thus far, 332 veterans from 45 U.S. states and the District of Columbia have signed up for the program. According to VanDiver, 141 said their primary reason for signing up was “their support for Afghan allies.” Another 136 cited “moral responsibility or a policy failure.” For 62, veteran solidarity or service in Afghanistan was a motivator.

Media attention on his case has not affected Naser’s future. On June 26, a federal judge dismissed Naser’s asylum case, placing him in expedited removal proceedings.

Naser’s future is now subject to even greater uncertainty, particularly regarding any possible deportation. Last week, Naser’s lawyer, Brian McGoldrick, told reporters that he believed the U.S. government would not deport Afghans to their homeland, given that the U.S. has no diplomatic relationship with the Taliban.

The State Department did not reply to a request for confirmation.

McGoldrick also told the press that his client’s future hinges on the outcome of a credible fear interview. If an interviewer determines that Naser’s life would be endangered on return to Afghanistan, he can remain in the U.S. and start the asylum process once more. If not, Naser will be subject to immediate deportation.

McGoldrick said Citizenship and Immigration Services has not scheduled Naser’s interview, claiming limited resources.

Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin has said Naser’s immigration records include no evidence of his service with the U.S. government. Employment documents were provided to the press, showing Naser’s years of work on multiple contracts supporting the U.S. and Afghan militaries.

The State Department did not respond to questions about whether it has evidence of Naser’s service, particularly through DAS-T, a little-known vetting mechanism for SIV applicants formerly named Project Rabbit.

Naser’s wife and children also remain in limbo in Iran. The Islamic Republic has deported 700,000 Afghans to their homeland since January, with 256,000 being returned in June alone.

TWO REASONS THE US AND IRAN LOOK SET TO FIGHT AGAIN

Last week, VanDiver visited Naser at the Otay Mesa Detention Center, where he is reportedly being held without access to mail. Naser told VanDiver he loves America and “was building a life here” with a car, bank account, and job. “There are better ways than treating people like criminals, especially those who stood with you during war,” Naser said, pleading with the U.S. government to “let me live in peace with my family in this country that I love.”

Beth Bailey (@BWBailey85) is a freelance contributor to Fox News and the host of The Afghanistan Project, which takes a deep dive into the tragedy wrought in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.