Communities Call for Release of Afghan Asylum Seekers Detained by ICE

(SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI) Community pressure is growing on federal immigration authorities to release Mohammad Ali Dadfar, an Afghan asylum seeker and former soldier who worked with U.S. troops, after he was detained last month during a trucking enforcement sweep called Operation Midway Blitz and moved to the Greene County Jail in Springfield. Faith leaders, elected officials from both parties, and refugee advocates say he has followed every rule set by the government and should be allowed to continue his asylum case while living with his family.

Arrest and detention details

Advocates working with the family say Dadfar was picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on October 10, 2025, in Indiana. He was reportedly on a trucking job when officers involved in Operation Midway Blitz identified him and took him into custody.

They note that he holds humanitarian parole and a valid work permit that runs until June 17, 2026. After his arrest, he was transferred to Greene County Jail, a local facility that contracts to hold federal immigration detainees.

Impact on family and community support

His wife says the weeks since his arrest have been especially hard on their young children. “They feel the lack of their father now,” she told supporters, explaining that the children ask again and again when he will come home.

Friends and supporters say the family had been building a stable life, with Dadfar supporting them as a truck driver while pursuing his asylum claim, before the sudden detention disrupted everything.

Crisis Servant Lutheran Church has been helping the family with calls, letters, visits, and practical support. Members report providing:

• Rent assistance
• Food
• Emotional support
• Help with paperwork and messaging to officials

Church leaders argue that detaining a man who fought beside American troops sends a worrying message to other Afghan partners who trusted U.S. promises of safety.

Background: service with U.S. forces

Supporters stress that Dadfar served as a soldier alongside U.S. forces in Afghanistan, working against the Taliban before the fall of Kabul. They argue his service placed him and his family at direct risk, which is why they were allowed to enter the United States on humanitarian grounds after the U.S. withdrawal.

Because of that background, his detention is especially painful to advocates — they say he is precisely the kind of former ally the U.S. promised to protect.

Political and bipartisan support

Elected officials have publicly backed calls for his release. Those named in support include:

• Democratic Representatives Joe Neguse and Jason Crow (Colorado)
• Republican Teller County Commissioner Dan Williams, a former Army officer

Advocates note the bipartisan nature of this support is unusual in immigration debates and has raised the profile of Dadfar’s case.

Legal and advocacy arguments

Supporters contend:

• Dadfar poses no flight risk
• He has no criminal record
• He has complied with every check-in and document request

They argue that holding him in Greene County Jail is an unnecessary use of detention that harms his family and provides no public-safety benefit.

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, Dadfar’s case fits a pattern where asylum seekers with pending cases are detained after routine meetings or during unrelated enforcement activity. In some of these instances, people with work permits and humanitarian parole are nevertheless taken into custody, creating fear among others who must attend official appointments or travel for work.

Parallel case: Ali Faqirzada in New York

Advocates say a similar situation played out in New York. Key points:

• Ali Faqirzada is a 31‑year‑old student and asylum seeker detained by ICE on October 14, 2025.
• Faqirzada, who attended Bard College, went to a scheduled asylum interview and was taken into custody afterward.
• His family fled Afghanistan due to activism and work with the former government; all family members have already been granted asylum, while his application remains pending.

Organizations calling for his release include the Episcopal Diocese of New York, Human Rights First, and Bard College.

Bishop Matthew Heyd said: “We call for the immediate release of Ali Faqirzada. Welcoming people from all over the world who are seeking safe belonging is the best of America and the call of our Christian faith.”

Supporters say his detention sends a chilling signal to students and young people who believed that following rules would result in fair treatment.

How the asylum process works

People like Dadfar and Faqirzada must file Form I-589, Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and then wait for interviews or hearings that can take months or years.

During that waiting period:

• They can receive work permits
• They may be granted humanitarian parole or other temporary status that allows them to live and work legally

However, none of these steps fully shields applicants from arrest and detention by ICE.

DHS guidance and advocates’ position

The Department of Homeland Security states in public materials that asylum seekers who do not pose a threat and who have strong community ties can often be monitored outside detention.

Advocates argue that both Mohammad Ali Dadfar and Ali Faqirzada meet this standard, citing:

• Employment and school records
• Family members with legal status
• Ongoing cooperation with immigration officers

They ask DHS and ICE leadership to use discretion to release individuals who present no danger, particularly those who aided the U.S. in conflict zones or have established stable community ties.

Human and community costs

Community members emphasize the broader human toll of detention:

• In Springfield, volunteers say Dadfar’s wife is juggling rent, bills, and childcare alone, while attempting to communicate with lawyers and gather documents.
• In New York, classmates and professors worry Faqirzada’s arrest will derail his studies and future career, even if he is eventually allowed to stay.

Veterans’ groups involved in evacuation efforts after Kabul’s fall say operations like Operation Midway Blitz and detentions like Dadfar’s undermine promises made to Afghan partners and may discourage others from trusting U.S. commitments.

Comparison of the two cases

Ongoing efforts and appeals

Supporters are directing appeals to the Department of Homeland Security and ICE leadership, urging the use of discretion to release both men. They emphasize that law allows officers to choose not to detain people who present no threat — especially when those people helped the United States in war zones or otherwise followed official instructions.

As time passes in Greene County Jail and New York detention facilities, families, churches, colleges, and local leaders continue to press for release. They say the cases of Mohammad Ali Dadfar and Ali Faqirzada have become a broader test of how the United States treats asylum seekers who trusted its word, followed its rules, and expected to remain with their loved ones while claims are adjudicated.