Federal immigration agents have arrested at least 10 Afghan nationals in the Albany area this week, part of a sweeping national enforcement operation launched after an Afghan migrant was accused of shooting two National Guard members in Washington, D.C.
In Albany, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents apprehended two men, a 57-year-old father and his son on Central Avenue after early morning prayers on Wednesday, December 3.
Three men along with other seven Afghans were arrested from a separate family in Watervliet on Monday.
Yousaf Sherzad, acting president of the Afghan American Community Center in Albany confirmed that they all have pending asylum claims.
The enforcement action became active after the November 26 shooting near the White House that killed National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe who was critically injured.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who resettled in the U.S. in 2021 through a program for wartime allies, has been charged and pleaded not guilty.
President Donald Trump called the incident a “terrorist attack” and immediately ordered a review of security and vetting protocols for migrants from Afghanistan and 18 other “high risk” countries.
