A former Afghan interpreter was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Connecticut after an asylum hearing at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in East Hartford.
Attorney Lauren Petersen said her client 鈥 whom she identified only as Zia 鈥 was attending the meeting as part of the process to secure a green card for himself and his family based on his service as an interpreter for U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Upon leaving the building, Zia was surrounded by immigration agents and removed to a facility in Massachusetts.
鈥淗e鈥檚 been in combat situations. He鈥檚 been in a war-torn country. This is the kind of thing I think he thought he had left behind,鈥 Petersen said.
A court issued an emergency order that Zia cannot be removed from the country for now, and a hearing is expected in a few weeks for the government to explain its actions. Peterson said it鈥檚 not certain where Zia would be sent if deported. She said Zia came to the U.S. legally last year after being granted humanitarian parole and lives in the New Haven area with his wife and five children. Zia鈥檚 family had received support from New Haven-based Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS).
鈥淪o, my reaction 鈥 horror, fury,鈥 said Maggie Mitchell Salem, executive director of IRIS. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 even imagine being in their shoes right now,鈥 Salem said. 鈥淎nd then the fear that they must have 鈥 if he can be picked up like this, what about the rest of the family? What about others?鈥
KPBS (7/23/25) By Andrew Dyer