Afghan national arrested in US over ISIS-K links

KABUL (Pajhwok): The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested Jaan Shah Safi, an Afghan national, for alleged links to ISIS-K in the United States.

On Wednesday, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced that ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents had detained Safi, who entered the United States under the Biden administration’s “Operation Allies Welcome.”

He is accused of providing support to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria–Khorasan (ISIS-K).

According to the DHS statement, Safi entered the United States in 2021 under the “Operation Allies Welcome” program and was arrested on December 3, 2025, in Waynesboro, Virginia.

Noem said the individual lacked proper documentation upon entry, and his application for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) had been denied after the TPS program for Afghans was discontinued.

“The Biden administration created one of the worst national security crises in American history. Biden allowed nearly 190,000 unvetted Afghan nationals into the country — only determining who they were and their intentions after they had already arrived. President Trump has been working every day since January 20 to address this national security crisis,” she added.

hz/sa