In April, 18-year-old Rihan was mistakenly detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The teen, who lives in Cheshire, Connecticut, spent two weeks in a detention facility in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Today, Rihan is back home and just graduated from Cheshire High.
But with his legal status in limbo, what's next for a young man with a dream to attend college and an uncertain future in the U.S.?
“They have taken everything of mine," Rihan said. "My legal status and everything like that … I don’t have anything now to move forward in the future."
This hour, we talk with Rihan and his father, Zia. We’re using their first names only for their safety and the safety of their family in Afghanistan. We'll also speak with their immigration attorney about the tenuous road ahead for a family whose legal status hangs in the balance.
GUESTS:
- Rihan: Cheshire teen detained for two weeks by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in April 2026.
- Zia: Rihan’s father. He served the U.S. Army as an interpreter and cultural advisor during the war in Afghanistan.
- Samantha Rosenberg: Cheshire Board of Education Chair
- Lauren C. Petersen: Private practice immigration attorney in New Haven, currently representing Rihan and his family. She’s Founder and Executive Director of Pavillion Immigrant Assistance in Hartford, and she’s also a co-managing attorney for the American Immigrant Legal Clinic in New Haven.
Connecticut Public's Patrick Skahill contributed to this episode. Special thanks also to Rihan's uncle Tariq, and family advocate, Dick Harvey.
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