‘Home is like a jail’: Afghan soldier weathers injuries, uncertainty in US asylum bid

Afghan soldier Abdul Wasi Safi’s days since his release from a Texas immigration detention center have been filled with medical appointments while living in Houston with his brother. He’s getting treatment for injuries he suffered while journeying to the U.S.-Mexico border last year. He fled Afghanistan, fearing retribution from the Taliban following the U.S. withdrawal in 2021. His days are also full of worry as he applies for asylum but fears deportation since his legal status remains unsettled. It’s a situation many Afghans who have come to the U.S. are facing and it has immigration activists and others calling for the U.S. government to not abandon its allies.