Federal immigration agents arrested at least 10 Afghan nationals in the Albany area this week, as part of a broad nationwide law enforcement operation launched after an Afghan migrant was accused of shooting two National Guard members in Washington, DC.
In Albany, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained two men, a 57-year-old father and his son, on Central Avenue after morning prayers on Wednesday, December 3.
Three men, along with seven other Afghans, were arrested Monday from another family in Watervliet.
Yousaf Sherzad, acting president of the Afghan American Community Center in Albany, confirmed that all have pending asylum applications.
The police action was activated after the Nov. 26 shooting near the White House that killed National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe, who was seriously injured.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who resettled in the United States 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.
