Masked ICE agents detain former Afghan interpreter who helped U.S. military

An Afghan who moved to the United States after working for the U.S. military in his home country was seized by armed, masked immigration agents, put in a van and taken out of state, attorneys and members of Congress said Tuesday.

WASHINGTON — An Afghan who moved to the United States after working for the U.S. military in his home country was seized by armed, masked immigration agents, put in a van and taken out of state, attorneys and members of Congress said Tuesday.

Identified only as Zia by members of Congress and his attorney out of concern for his safety and that of his family, the man had worked as an interpreter for the U.S. military during the war in Afghanistan.

He was in the United States legally and was arrested after an appointment in Connecticut related to his application for a green card under a program to protect people who worked for U.S. forces, according to human rights advocates, his attorney and members of Congress.

Since starting his second term in January, Republican President Donald Trump has pursued a broad crackdown on immigration.

“What happened to him is the worst kind of abhorrent violation of basic decency,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told reporters on a call with advocates to draw attention to the case of Zia and at least two other Afghans who worked for the U.S. and have been seized by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.