HOUSTON — An Afghan soldier who fled the Taliban and traveled via almost a dozen international locations earlier than being arrested on the Texas-Mexico border and detained for months has been granted asylum, permitting him to stay within the United States, his brother mentioned Wednesday.

Abdul Wasi Safi, 27, is considered one of tens of hundreds of Afghan residents who fled to the U.S. following the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan in August 2021.

The soldier, referred to as Wasi by household and associates, and his older brother, Sami Safi, apprehensive that if Wasi Safi wasn’t granted asylum, he may very well be despatched again to Afghanistan, the place he would probably be killed by the Taliban as a result of he had labored with the U.S. navy.

But Wasi Safi’s lawyer stunned the brothers Tuesday with information that his asylum request had been granted. The brothers, who stay in Houston, had thought a call wasn’t coming till a Nov. 19 courtroom listening to.

“I have tears of joy in my eyes,” Sami Safi mentioned. “Now he can live here. Now he can be safe here.”

Olsa Alikaj-Cano, Wasi Safi’s immigration lawyer, who represented him along with his credible concern interview in addition to along with his asylum software earlier than the Houston Immigration Court, mentioned she and an lawyer representing the federal authorities filed a joint movement on Friday asking an immigration decide to waive the November trial listening to and grant asylum.

But Alikaj-Cano mentioned the decide’s determination got here after Wasi Safi was completely vetted by the U.S. authorities. That included background checks, a powerful asylum software with letters of help and questioning by immigration officers, all of which detailed the concern Wasi Safi felt over a potential return to Afghanistan, she mentioned.

“It’s great news. It’s the true story of someone who’s done so much for our country and who deserves asylum. Asylum is meant to be issued to individuals like Wasi,” Alikaj-Cano mentioned.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review, which handles immigration instances, didn’t instantly reply to an e mail searching for remark about Wasi Safi being granted asylum, which was first reported by the Military Times.

An intelligence officer for the Afghan National Security Forces, Wasi Safi made his solution to Brazil final yr. Last summer season, he began a months-long journey on foot and by boat via raging rivers and dense jungle to the U.S., crossing 10 international locations on his treacherous trek.

At the U.S.-Mexico border close to Eagle Pass, Texas, Wasi Safi was arrested in September 2022 and spent a number of months in detention earlier than being freed following intervention by attorneys and lawmakers.

Those engaged on Wasi Safi’s case say it highlights how America’s chaotic navy withdrawal from Afghanistan continues to hurt Afghan residents who helped the U.S. however have been left behind.

Nearly 90,000 Afghans who labored with American troopers as translators or in different capacities since 2001 have arrived within the U.S. on navy planes because the chaotic withdrawal, in line with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The Afghan Adjustment Act, a proposed legislation to streamline their immigration course of, has stalled in Congress.

Other Afghans, like Wasi Safi, made their solution to the U.S. on their very own.

“This was supposed to happen because if you give so much sacrifice to a country’s government, to a country’s military who promised you ‘we will never leave our allies behind,’ it was the right thing for the government to do,” mentioned Sami Safi, 30, who was a translator for the U.S. navy and has lived in Houston since 2015.

Wasi Safi’s unresolved immigration standing had meant he wasn’t licensed to work. By getting asylum, he'll have the ability to apply for a piece allow. One yr after getting asylum, Wasi Safi will have the ability to apply to develop into a lawful everlasting resident, or a inexperienced card holder, and 4 years after that he'll have the ability to apply for U.S. citizenship, Alikaj-Cano mentioned.

His brother mentioned it's going to additionally assist him deal with getting remedy for accidents he suffered throughout his journey to the U.S. A brutal beating by cops in Panama severely broken his tooth and jaw and left him with everlasting listening to loss.

Sami Safi mentioned getting his brother asylum is a part of an effort that he hopes in the future results in bringing their mother and father and different siblings to the U.S. They proceed dealing with threats in Afghanistan over Wasi Safi’s work with the U.S. navy, Sami Safi mentioned.

“They were full of joy after hearing about my brother. And we’re just only hoping and praying that we get to see them, we get to bring them here, so that my brothers and my sisters can pursue happiness and live a peaceful life,” he mentioned.

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