Overview
- Zia arrived in the U.S. under approved humanitarian parole and a Special Immigrant Visa in October 2024 after serving as an interpreter for U.S. forces, and he has a pending green card application.
- ICE agents wearing masks and carrying weapons detained him on July 16 outside a USCIS center in East Hartford and transferred him to a Plymouth County, Massachusetts, detention facility.
- On July 18 a federal judge granted a temporary stay preventing his removal from the United States while legal proceedings continue.
- The Department of Homeland Security has confirmed an investigation into a “serious criminal allegation” against him without providing specifics, and his attorney asserts he has no criminal history.
- Senators Richard Blumenthal, Representatives Jahana Hayes and Bill Keating alongside veterans groups have launched legal and legislative efforts to demand transparency on the charges and secure his release.