Veterans groups plead Afghan soldier’s asylum case in letter to Biden

Abdul Wasi Safi, second from left, stands with others in his Afghan special forces unit. He wears the rank and insignia of a Dvahomi baridman, or second lieutenant. (Credit: Courtesy of Sami-ullah Safi)

Nearly two dozen veterans groups are pleading with the White House this week to intervene in the case of an Afghan national jailed in a Texas border town after he crossed the border illegally while trying to escape the Taliban and rejoin his brother in Houston.

Abdul Wasi Safi, or Wasi, as his family calls him, faces up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $5,000 for entering the U.S. illegally.