The Cheshire teen from Afghanistan who was held in an ICE detention facility in Massachusetts for two weeks, stood silently on the sidelines in Cheshire Town Hall, listening to state and local leaders welcome him home.
“Welcome home, Rihan,” Gov. Ned Lamont said Friday. “We're so proud that you're back, so proud that you call Cheshire home, so proud that you call Connecticut home.”
Rihan, who attends Cheshire High School, was released on a $1,500 bond Tuesday afternoon. Federal immigration officers seized Rihan without warning while he was in his uncle’s car in Cheshire on April 6.
Rihan and his family came to the U.S. legally under humanitarian parole, for which his family qualified because his father worked as an interpreter for the U.S. armed forces.
Connecticut Public is identifying Rihan and his family using only their first names at the family’s request for the safety of their family in Afghanistan.
Rihan was detained by ICE due to a federal administrative error, according to Lauren Petersen, his attorney.
“The government says its computer systems had some inaccurate information about the duration of Rihan's legal status,” Petersen said. Rihan and his family are “pursuing additional immigration pathways for them to be able to remain in the United States” once their humanitarian parole runs out, she said.
Community bonds
Peter Talbot, chairman of the Cheshire Town Council, apologized to Rihan for his detainment, saying the most important thing a town council can do is protect its residents.
“Rihan, in this case and your family, we let you down, and I'm tremendously sorry,” Talbot said. “The entire community never, ever let you out of our thoughts and prayers during this horrendous ordeal that you were forced to go through.”
Petersen said it was the support of state leaders and local community members that helped Rihan get back home.
The immigration judge who granted Rihan’s bond commented on the letters he received from Rihan’s teachers when making his decision, according to Petersen.
“Those community bonds aren't for nothing,” Petersen said. “They're meaningful, and they help bring people back home.”
‘It can happen anywhere’
Petersen said Rihan was able to have a relatively short time in ICE detention because he had a lawyer to call, he didn’t sign anything when he was taken, and he had support from community members and state leadership.
“If it can happen here in Cheshire,” Town Council Chairman Talbot said, “it truly can happen anywhere, and we have to make sure that these travesties of justice do not happen any more.”
Connecticut Students for a Dream member Andrea Sanchez said those who may not have that kind of support system can find resources at CT Immigrants, a landing page with useful information on what to do and who to contact if an individual or their loved one is detained.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong also said those who are concerned about their immigration status can take proactive steps now to be prepared for any potential ICE encounter.
“Figure out who the first five calls are. If something goes down, have a piece of paper that family members can take with them and so that you know who the first five calls are,” Tong said. “If number one doesn't pick up the phone, who's number two?”
Tong also said it’s important to connect with qualified licensed immigration counsel and local organizations that offer resources to immigrants.
Targeting Afghan refugees
Rihan returned to Cheshire High School Thursday and is set to graduate with his class in June. However, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said the joy he was feeling was mixed with dread for Rihan and his family.
“Make no mistake, Rihan and his family continue to have a target on their backs because ICE's agenda of vengeance and cruelty has made them a target,” Blumenthal said.
The same is happening to “countless other immigrants who have done nothing wrong,” Blumenthal said.
Blumenthal also highlighted the Afghan refugees who may be relocated under the Trump administration.
“Among all the cruelties and illegalities that this administration has perpetrated, this one is one of the worst,” Blumenthal said. “To think that Afghan refugees will be relocated, deported, sent to the Congo after helping this country and our troops in Afghanistan is absolutely abhorrent.”
Blumenthal said he will continue to fight on Capitol Hill to achieve reforms for ICE and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
