Afghan soldier arrested at border while seeking asylum has new lawyers, meets with FBI

Abdul Wasi Safi, who worked as an intelligence officer in the Afghan National Security Forces alongside U.S. troops, hopes to apply for asylum in the U.S. but is awaiting a criminal trial in a Texas detention center. (Credit: Courtesy of Sami-ullah Safi.)

The new legal team for an Afghan soldier in custody at a Texas detention center hopes fresh cooperation with the U.S. government will lead to his eventual release and asylum.

Abdul Wasi Safi, known as Wasi, worked as an intelligence officer in the Afghan National Security Forces alongside U.S. troops. Fearing for his life after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Wasi escaped the Taliban, crossing three continents and ultimately making his way to the U.S.-Mexico border. Rather than reuniting with his brother, a naturalized American citizen, Wasi was arrested at the border and has been in custody since Sept. 30.