Thousands of former Afghan military members faced the risk of death by the Taliban for helping U.S. forces. But those that make it to the U.S. often encounter more problems because of the country’s complex immigration system.
Abdul Wasi Safi stands in the foreground of Afghan military vehicles surrounded by dirt-filled barriers and concrete bunkers. Wasi, who helped the Afghan military fight the Taliban, left the country fearing for his life. He was arrested earlier this year after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border trying to reach his brother who had immigrated to Houston and became a U.S. citizen., our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
Just three months later, the U.S. abruptly exited the country. The Taliban — an Islamic fundamentalist group — took control of the country and began hunting down those who had helped the Americans. In his Houston home, Sami-ullah Safi shows a group photo from his brother’s Indian Military Academy class.The story of these Afghan brothers takes place at the intersection of two American failures: the U.S. war in Afghanistan and the nation’s immigration system.
When he couldn’t get on that final flight, Wasi fled the country. Over the next year, he would cross two continents by plane, bus, car and taxi and walk countless miles, including a seven-day trek through Panama’s treacherous Darién Gap with a group of other migrants to reach the U.S.-Mexico border two months ago. Then he crossed the Rio Grande and was quickly charged with a federal crime for illegally entering the country.
Wasi said he was 50 meters away when a suicide bomber associated with ISIS-K — an Islamic State affiliate — detonated at one of the gates on Aug. 26, killing 13 U.S. service members and 60 Afghans. Wasi called Sami in Houston constantly. He told his brother he was becoming “mentally weak,” fearing the worst as the Taliban closed in. “Everyone in the family and [our] relatives knows I was in the special forces,” he said in one voice message to Sami. “I don’t know what to do, brother.”
During their frantic withdrawal, the U.S. forces had left behind its handheld biometric system, which the Taliban captured and used to check identities: All the guards needed was a fingerprint, a retina scan or even his real name to discover his entire background. A group of migrants traversing through the Darién Gap with Abdul Wasi Safi rests on rocks while drying their feet.They crossed through Colombia and into the infamous Darién Gap, a 60-mile stretch of roadless jungle where vulnerable migrants are often preyed upon by gangs, cartels and paramilitary forces in the area. Many die along the way from snake bites, exposure to the elements or drowning.
When the truck stopped, Wasi said the smuggler opened the back, then shook them down for clothes, valuables and money. The truck left. After a stranger approached and pointed them toward the border, Wasi and the other migrants began walking in the dark.They crossed the shallow Rio Grande slowly on Sept. 30, trying to keep their remaining belongings out of the water. After Wasi crossed, he said he went back to help young children and women who were struggling in the deeper parts of the river.
Two days later, after an interrogation by federal agents, Wasi was sent to the Val Verde Correctional Facility and charged with a federal misdemeanor for failing to present himself at a port of entry with paperwork proving he was allowed to be in the U.S.
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