An uneasy story is unfolding in Austin, Texas: Saeed Noor, a United States Army veteran, on December 2 answered a call and immediately realized that something was wrong. His brother Lal was in Laredo, a few hours from home, and nervously explained that their commercial truck had been stopped at a border checkpoint.

Lal, who is 28 years old, admitted that he is not a U.S. citizen. Along with his mother and five brothers and sisters, they survived the Afghan evacuation after the withdrawal of American forces and are now awaiting a decision on the asylum petition filed years earlier.

While Saeed was talking, he heard them aggressively demanding to know whom Lal had been calling and why. He advised handing the phone to an agent so he could help, and he did everything to calm his brother.

«I told him: “Sir, let’s just talk to each other like adults, okay?” I said: “You are an officer and you swore to defend the Constitution.” I said: “I did the same, I was in the Army, now I am a veteran.”»

– Saeed Noor

Later the phone was handed to another agent. They were told that they were working on confirming Lal’s status. Afghan asylum matters had previously enjoyed bipartisan support, but the tone shifted after the shooting in Washington, which killed two members of the National Guard, after which attention to Afghan refugees intensified.

Time passed: Saeed maintained contact with his brother, but later the connection disappeared. Life360 showed Lal’s location, but the calls yielded no result, and inquiries to the border station did not provide information.

Two days later Saeed learned that Lal was being held at the Webb County detention facility, run by ICE. In January Lal told CNN from this facility that he and his family simply want a chance to “live a decent life” in the United States.

«I came to America legally», – Lal told CNN from the detention facility in Laredo during a January interview, adding that he and his family simply want a chance to “live a decent life.”

– Lal

Explaining the situation, DHS spokesperson Trisha McLaughlin confirmed Lal’s detention on December 1 after a directive for a re-review at the border crossing. The documents also state that he is an “undocumented immigrant” with visa restrictions and that his asylum case was being considered within the immigration system.

Lal and his family are among thousands of Afghans who were evacuated in 2021 from Afghanistan after the Taliban took power. The evacuation, known as Operation Allies Refuge, became the most expensive civilian evacuation operation in U.S. history. Most of these people sought to build a new life in the United States, often with support from American service members and partners.

While some politicians criticized the lack of full oversight of checks on Afghan migrants, asylum considerations remained a topic of debate. Against this backdrop, refusals and detentions continue to affect families who worked with American forces, as well as their safety and future in the United States.