Florida Rep. Mike Waltz (R) and Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R) have joined forces to send a letter to President Joe Biden (D) requesting that Afghan Special Forces Commando Abdul Wasi Safi be granted parole as his asylum case is adjudicated.
Both GOP members, who are also veterans, have been vocal critics of President Biden’s military withdrawal from Afghanistan. Wasi Safi was arrested by Border Patrol agents near Eagle Pass, Texas as he was running away from Afghanistan to Brazil because he feared being captured by the Taliban. As he was waiting to enter the United States to reunite with his brother, who’s a Special Immigrant Visa recipient, Wasi Safi was attacked and robbed.
In the letter, the lawmakers argue that section 235(b)(1) of the Immigration and Naturalization Act “allows a person to pursue asylum if that person allows a credible fear of persecution,” adding that credible fear is defined by the statute as there being “a significant possibility, taking into account the credibility of the statements made by the alien in support of the alien’s claim and such other facts as are known to the officer, that the alien could establish eligibility for asylum.”
In a statement, Waltz recounted that he "fought alongside soldiers like Abdul in Afghanistan who risked their lives to build a better future for their country while keeping Americans safe." Waltz added that because of “the Biden Administration’s hasty and disastrous withdrawal, our government left behind personal information of our allies that helped us. As a result, they are now subject to Taliban reprisals and countless unable to escape have been killed." In turn, he said that the United States owes "those who risked their lives to fight with Americans to ensure their safety and it’s despicable this administration would rather deport Abdul than thousands of other migrants illegally crossing our southern border.”
The letter can be read here.
