SAN DIEGO (CNS) - An Afghan man and former interpreter for the U.S. Military who was detained by immigration officials earlier this year is free Saturday, following a ruling by a San Diego federal judge.
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Sayed Naser Noori was arrested in June while appearing at his first immigration court hearing since entering the United States last year.
"It's great. The experience of feeling to be free is really great," Noori said in a video posted on social media Friday night. "When I was in detention it was hard to believe that I am going to be free."
At a hearing on Friday, Noori's asylum case was dismissed after government attorneys argued his notice to appear in court was "improvidently issued." He was then arrested and placed in expedited removal proceedings.
U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel wrote in a brief order issued Friday that among his findings, Noori's humanitarian parole was revoked "without notifying him, providing him reasoning for the revocation or giving him an opportunity to be heard." The judge said that deprived Noori of his due process rights.
Shawn VanDiver, president of the nonprofit AfghanEvac, which helps relocate and resettle Afghan allies, issued a statement Saturday saying "After 106 long and painful days, Afghan ally Sayed Naser is finally free."
"He was met by family, friends, and supporters--a moment of long- overdue relief after months of unjust confinement," the statement said. "This decision affirms what we have said all along: Sayed's detention was unjust and unlawful. Judge Curiel ruled that the government violated Sayed's due process rights by placing him into expedited removal proceedings while his original case was still pending, revoking his humanitarian parole without notice or explanation, and failing to provide the required written termination of parole."
Noori's asylum documents state his brother was killed at a family wedding by the Taliban. The application also states that in addition to working as a translator, his family ran a company that contracted with the United States. Noori wrote that he feared returning to Afghanistan due to potential retaliation for assisting the U.S. AfghanEvac says Noori entered the U.S. through a Customs and Border Protection 1 appointment last year at San Ysidro.
"His immigration case continues, but his release is a meaningful step toward justice," VanDiver said. "It proves that advocacy matters. That solidarity matters. That persistence matters. And it shows that America's promises to its allies must be honored, not just for Sayed, but for every Afghan who stood with us and is still waiting for safety."
Noori will appear at a news conference tentatively scheduled for Thursday in San Diego, according to VanDiver.
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