A former interpreter for the U.S. military who had been in immigration detention since June was free Saturday following a ruling by a San Diego judge.
Sayed Naser Noori was arrested while appearing at his first immigration court hearing since entering the United States last year after fleeing Afghanistan.
“It’s great. The experience of feeling to be free is really great,” he said in a video posted on social media Friday night. “When I was in detention it was hard to believe that I am going to be free.”
We got him. #StandWithSayed #AfghanEvac #BattleBuddies pic.twitter.com/YOqnPVCOZ5
— Shawn VanDiver (@shawnjvandiver) September 27, 2025
At the hearing, the man’s asylum case was dismissed after government attorneys argued his notice to appear in court was “improvidently issued.” He was then arrested and placed in expedited removal proceedings.
U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel wrote in a brief order issued Friday that Naser’s humanitarian parole was revoked “without notifying him, providing him reasoning for the revocation or giving him an opportunity to be heard.” The judge said those actions deprived Noori of his due process rights.
Shawn VanDiver, president of the nonprofit AfghanEvac, which helps relocate and resettle Afghan allies, issued a statement Saturday saying “After 106 long and painful days, Afghan ally Sayed Naser is finally free.
“He was met by family, friends, and supporters – a moment of long-overdue relief after months of unjust confinement. This decision affirms what we have said all along: Sayed’s detention was unjust and unlawful.”
Asylum documents state that the Taliban killed Naser’s brother at a family wedding. The application also states that in addition to working as a translator, his family ran a company that contracted with the United States. Noori wrote that he feared returning to Afghanistan due to potential retaliation.
“His immigration case continues, but his release is a meaningful step toward justice,” VanDiver said. “It proves that advocacy matters. That solidarity matters. That persistence matters. And it shows that America’s promises to its allies must be honored, not just for Sayed, but for every Afghan who stood with us and is still waiting for safety.”
Naser will appear at a news conference tentatively scheduled for Thursday in San Diego, according to VanDiver.
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