Another Afghan Ally Detained Despite Legal Status
Mohammad Ali Dadfar survived the Taliban, the Darién Gap, and a monthslong journey to the U.S. only to be jailed by ICE while his asylum case is still pending.
On October 10, Afghan asylum seeker Mohammad Ali Dadfar fell victim to "Operation Midway Blitz," an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sting to find drivers whose licenses were issued in so-called sanctuary states.
According to Dadfar, he was on the phone with his brother at a weigh station in Indiana when masked ICE agents signaled him to end the call. Only after arriving at Greene County Jail in Springfield, Missouri, was Dadfar able to contact his wife to tell her he had been detained. He reported being forced to remove his clothes while agents asked if he had documentary proof that he was in the U.S. legally. Dadfar told his wife that the agents never examined the document he provided.
The 37-year-old was an employee of the Afghan Army for 14 years, and helped U.S. forces repel the Taliban until the terror group took hold of his city of Mazar-i-Sharif while storming their way to Kabul in August 2021. Rather than wait for the Taliban to fulfill the death threats they made against him previously, Dadfar fled to Kabul and attempted, unsuccessfully, to board one of the evacuation flights departing Kabul International Airport.
After the deadly chaos at the airfield subsided, Dadfar spent six months in hiding before rejoining his family to flee to Iran through Pakistan. Dissatisfied with the treatment they received in Iran, the family applied for humanitarian visas to Brazil and relocated. For a year, Dadfar's family shared a communal home with 13 other families and struggled to obtain work and long-term housing. Finally, the family decided to undertake an arduous six-month journey to the U.S. border to seek asylum.
Dadfar's youngest daughter nearly drowned while he carried her on his shoulders across a powerful river in the Panamanian jungle near the Darién Gap. His wife told The Colorado Sun that she saw "six or seven dead bodies" in the jungle. Though the family escaped alive, Dadfar's children emerged with eye infections, covered in sores.
Upon reaching Mexico, Dadfar's family applied for asylum through the CBP One App. After they received an appointment to plead their case, the family was allowed to enter the U.S. after submitting biometric and fingerprint data. Dadfar received parole and work authorization, which does not expire until June 17, 2026. Dadfar also has a pending asylum case, with his next court date scheduled for February 2026.
Upon examining the new legal document purportedly describing his current situation, Dadfar found that it stated that he would be safe if returned to his home country. Dadfar's wife told The Colorado Sun that he was "never asked" whether it was safe for him to return to Afghanistan. "He is not safe if he goes back to Afghanistan," she contradicted, noting that the Taliban continue to seek out and murder their former enemies.
On November 12, Dadfar's attorney, Rekha Sharma-Crawford, filed a writ of habeas corpus on Dadfar's behalf. Sharma-Crawford says that the court ordered the government to show cause for Dadfar's detention by November 17. When the government failed to meet the timeline, the court granted an extension until November 21. Again, the government did not meet the deadline.
"He is obviously very frustrated," Sharma-Crawford says after a video call with Dadfar. "He doesn't understand why he's detained. He had all of his documents and papers in order. There's really not a reason or any legitimate ground for him to be in custody right now," she says.
Given that Dadfar "is in legitimate status," Sharma-Crawford says that she is "hopeful" that the court will rule in Dadfar's favor, either releasing him or ordering a bond hearing.
ICE did not respond to questions about whether Dadfar's court documents were filled out without his consent, and whether his pending asylum case should have protected him from arrest.
Support for Dadfar, like with other Afghan allies, has come from across the political spectrum. Republican Teller County Commissioner Dan Williams is advocating for Dadfar's release, and Rep. Joe Neguse (D–Colo.) is working with Sharma-Crawford to assist Dadfar.
