US veteran dismisses former sergeant sergeant after ice protests | U.S. News

Veterans who helped U.S. Afghan allies find asylum in the U.S. said they were angry because they were now shelter for veterans and advocates now Federal conspiracy Accusation His role in protesting the Trump administration’s immigration policy.

Some people call the arrest of former U.S. Army Sergeant Bajun Mavalwalla II “shameful” and “non-American.” Mavalwalla is part of the community US military Veterans work to rescue Afghans who support this support after Kabul fell to the Taliban in 2021 US Army Operate in their home country.

“He is one of us – his arrest conveys a message that peaceful objections are being criminalized,” #afghanevacAfter Mavalwalla was arrested, an umbrella group brought together military veterans, national security leaders, intelligence workers and refugee rights groups.

“What we want to say is this loud and clear. We won’t be intimidated,” wrote Navy veteran Van Diver.

The ICE, which protested on June 11, led to the arrest of Mavalwalla, was confrontational, with the windshield of the government truck smashed and the tires cut off, but Mavalwalla was not among the more than 20 people arrested on the scene.

One minute video Posted on Instagram It shows that the Army veteran briefly quarreled with an officer whose face was covered with ski masks and sunglasses. Mavalwalla then locked her weapons with other protesters to block the door outside a federal building in Spokane, Washington.

More than a month passed before the FBI arrived at his home on July 15 and took the 35-year-old away Afghanistan War veterans were handcuffed. He has not been charged with blocking or assaulting, usually involving victims and attackers; the federal conspiracy charge he faces is a crime of intent. Legal experts say prosecutors will have to prove that Mavalwalla agrees with others on plans to block or hurt officials.

Mavalwalla pleaded not guilty. He faces a maximum penalty of six years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and three years of supervised release.

“It’s not the meaning of the United States,” said Arnold Strong, a retired Army Colonel deployed to Afghanistan and co-founded. Snow Leopard ActionThe effort has helped evacuate and relocate nearly 2,000 high-risk Afghans, including children, female leaders, human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, interpreters, athletes and filmmakers.

“As veterans, we move forward, we have created role models for the road,” Strong said. “We take role models as an example. When we are overseas, we show the war-torn countries what it means to be Americans.”

Strong said that by participating in the protests in Spokane, Mavalwalla acted with integrity and continued his service tradition in uniform.

Michael Baumgartner, a Republican representing the eastern Washington Congress, declined to comment on the story.

Veterans advocates say Baumgartner has been supporting their efforts and serves as co-sponsor The lasting welcome methodBipartisan legislation proposed in August would compile and develop permanent resettlement plans for Afghans working with the U.S. military.

They said, according to Donald Trumpended evacuation flights, restricted asylum petitions, and imposed a travel ban on tourists in the country.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office, which brought the charges, did not respond to the investigation. The office declined to comment on the guardian’s preliminary report, citing an ongoing investigation.

Vandiver said despite Mavalwalla’s arrest, #AFGANANEVAC will urge a plan to have veterans accompany Afghan allies to immigration hearings, which launched a plan earlier this year after detaining Afghan refugees in court appearances at Ice. California and Massachusetts.

exist statementHuman rights first provided rational legal aid to Afghan refugees, saying Mavalwalla’s conspiracy to prosecute “a dangerous step towards authoritarianism.”

“What we’re seeing is a positive attempt to eliminate our basic citizenship and human rights by using Mavalwalla II as something they want to do on a large scale,” said Hanah Stiverson, deputy director of democratic protection at the organization. “Everyone should be worried about it.”

John Moses, a retired soldier who served in Afghanistan and co-founded the Afghan Union in Massachusetts after returning home, also expressed support for Mavalwalla.

“A full-scale veteran is very proud of that child,” he said. “If they follow a veteran with a veteran father, it’s easier to follow everyone else. We have to support civilians and our democracy.”

Moses said he had begun assisting local immigration rights groups in Lowell, Massachusetts, monitoring ice sheet agents to remind community immigration to sweeps and plans to attend his first demonstration at the ice detention center next week. “I’m working to keep my community safe,” he said.