Leave No Man Behind

It’s up to us to demand America stays true to her promises.

There was an ICE abduction of a 35 year old Afghan man named Zia¹ not far from me that’s been on my mind ever since it was reported on July 18^th. I need to write about it. But I’ve also had this gnawing feeling that I need to do something. Writing is a start. I’m still thinking about what to do beyond calling members of Congress and donating to the family.

The week after he was snatched by six masked ICE agents and thrown into a van, I went to the site where it happened. I just wanted to see it for myself. I hoped to see some trace of what happened there but there was none.

How does a man get summarily disappeared and there’s no evidence? It happens multiple times every day now in the U.S. But, it should never feel “everyday.” Zia’s abduction is especially egregious because of the consequences for him and his family if sent back. And because this is the most shameful betrayal imaginable.

Source: RMG (L) Nondescript Storefront (R) USCIS sign in lobby area

The site is a nondescript office in a dated strip mall in East Hartford, CT. The “Application Support Center” is a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office although you wouldn’t know it. It’s next door to the Subway sandwich shop and two doors down from a nail salon. They do “biometrics,” including fingerprinting for green card and citizenship applications.

I wondered if there were witnesses so I went in the Subway to find an employee to ask but they were all busy making sandwiches. I started to go in the nail salon but decided not to reasoning they may not understand why I’m asking.

I went back outside frustrated that there was no trace of what happened here. I wanted the pavement to scream!

I learned later that Zia was accompanied that day by Richard Harvey, a volunteer with Integrated Refugee and Immigration Services (IRIS). His daughter, Pam Parkins, wrote a FaceBook post that afternoon. This is her post in condensed form:

My eighty year old father voluntarily helps immigrants acclimate to the US through an organization called IRIS in New Haven CT. Today, my father assisted a gentleman from Afghanistan by transporting [him] to a US Customs and Immigration Office… [The man] and his wife and 5 children are here in the US on Humanitarian Parole… [He] formally worked as an interpreter for the US Military in Afghanistan. After being fingerprinted and having his picture taken… [they] walked out to the parking lot… where they were surrounded by six ICE agents who quickly forced [him] into a van and sped away… refusing to respond to my father's inquiries… there has been no word of this gentlemen's whereabouts… [His] wife and family are distraught, as is my father. IT IS NOT RIGHT.

Richard Harvey started a Go Fund Me page on behalf of the family for their legal expenses and living expenses. On the page, he traces Zia’s story from his rural village in Afghanistan to his affiliation with the U.S. Army as translator and cultural adviser to the current day.

Zia’s Disappearance in the Context of Our Own History

America’s longest war officially ended with the chaotic withdrawal of remaining U.S. forces in 2021. It was a shitshow with plenty of blame to go around. But the upshot was that we left tens of thousands of Afghans who had aided U.S. and coalition forces to fend for themselves against the Taliban. Including their family members.

It’s been largely up to veterans of the war in Afghanistan, along with Afghans who’ve made it out, to evacuate as many remaining Afghan allies as possible before the Taliban finds them. With their unique knowledge of the terrain and network of resources, they’ve been able to save thousands. Groups like No One Left Behind and AfghanEvac have worked to evacuate and resettle wartime allies of both Afghanistan and Iraq.

Zia was an interpreter for the United States military during the War in Afghanistan. The president of AfghanEvac, Shawn VanDiver, said this in a recent press call:

The Trump administration is recategorizing legal immigrants to illegal. They are targeting those who trusted us enough to stand by us, targeting the friends of U.S. servicemembers… this is about whether this country honors its word to those who risked everything. Zia worked with U.S. forces, his family was tortured by the Taliban because of that service, he entered the country legally.

After being photographed and fingerprinted, six masked ICE men ambushed Zia along with an 80 year old volunteer who is close with the family. They threw Zia into a van and sped off. It was that quick.

In the New Haven suburb where the family settled less than a year ago, his wife and five kids had no idea what happened to him. Later, they learned he was taken to the Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Massachusetts where he’s held on an expedited removal order.

Zia told his immigration attorney over the phone “I’d rather someone just kill me in the U.S. than return to Afghanistan.”

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (CT) and U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes (CT-5) are leading the fight for Zia’s release but are so far stonewalled by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Kristi Noem is now making a claim that Zia is “under investigation for a serious criminal allegation.”

Her claim is suspect given he was cleared for a Special Immigration Visa less than a year ago and the State of Connecticut is unaware of any criminal allegations. A Massachusetts court has issued a temporary stay and Zia’s future is uncertain.

One thing is certain: Having known many Afghanistan and Iraq veterans during my career at the Department of Veterans Affairs, their commitment to Zia and all their Afghan and Iraqi brothers and sisters will not waiver. They won’t rest until every ally is safe.

“Leave No Man Behind” is not a slogan. They’re words to live by. Sadly, it’s a foreign concept in Washington. No one should disappear without a trace! It’s up to us to fight to keep America true to her word.

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The DONATE button takes you to the Go Fund Me page. All donations go to Zia and his family for legal expenses and living expenses.

1. The family has requested his full name be withheld due to fear for their safety