WILLIAM BRANGHAM: The Trump administration's immigration agenda has included efforts to cut back on both illegal and legal pathways into the country.

Yesterday, the president set the lowest ever cap on refugee entries, 7,500 per year.

And at the same time, more than 2.2 million migrants are awaiting asylum hearings here in the United States.

Amna Nawaz sat down with the family member of one asylum seeker caught up in these immigration restrictions.

AMNA NAWAZ: Officials carrying out President Trump's immigration crackdown have detained and deported thousands of undocumented people with criminal records.

But many with no criminal history who were following legal pathways to remain are also being detained.

One of them is 31-year-old Ali Sajad Faqirzada from Afghanistan, who crossed the U.S.

southern border in 2022 without authorization to make an asylum claim, which he and his family did, turning themselves into Border Patrol.

As their asylum cases moved through the courts, Ali went to a routine immigration check-in earlier this month and was detained by ICE.

For more on his case, we're joined now by his sister, Saida Faqirzada, and their family lawyer Anwen Hughes.

Welcome to you both, and thank you for joining us.

And, Saida, I will just begin with you, because you and other members of your family have been through this asylum process.

What did you expect to happen the day that Ali went in for this routine check-in?

SAIDA FAQIRZADA, Sister of Detained Asylum Seeker: We were expecting the process to be the same as the rest of the family member who already seek their asylum for him as well to be a smooth process.

And, actually, it was.

So he went in for his interview and he actually answered all the questions that he was asked.

And he was texting me and said: "Yes, Saida, I passed the interview and I'm so happy."

Then he also, like, immediately texted me saying that: "They are taking me."

AMNA NAWAZ: And was that the last time you heard from him?

SAIDA FAQIRZADA: Yes, when they detain him, yes.

AMNA NAWAZ: So, Anwen, let me turn to you here because I do want to put to you what the Department of Homeland Security said in response to our request for more information about the case.

They sent us a statement confirming that Ali did enter the U.S.

in February of 2022, and they also said, back, then he "was arrested by Border Patrol, released by the Biden administration into the country.

This poses serious national security risk for the United States and his citizens."

Anwen, what is your understanding of their statement there, why they believe he's a national security risk or why he was detained?

ANWEN HUGHES, Attorney For Detained Asylum Seeker: Well, it's unclear to me from that statement whether the -- what DHS is saying is that Ali poses a national security risk or that simply they disagree with the Biden administration's approach to arriving asylum seekers.

With respect to Ali himself, obviously, he doesn't pose a threat to the United States.

If we did, we would know by now.

He's been here for 3.5 years.

Ali as an asylum seeker is not responsible for these differences in policies, any more than he was responsible for the U.S.

decision to withdraw from Afghanistan.

He has been trying to cope with these various policy changes and abide by the instructions that he was given.

And so -- and, as a result, he's now been detained.

AMNA NAWAZ: Anwen, do you know why he was detained?

Have you been given a reason by the government?

ANWEN HUGHES: The government's general explanation as to why it has been detaining most people is that they -- essentially, that they lack lasting immigration status in the United States.

I haven't seen any articulation of any person-specific reason for them to do that.

AMNA NAWAZ: Saida, let me back it up here so people can sort of understand how we arrived at this point, because, after the Taliban reclaimed power in 2021 in Afghanistan, we increasingly saw people from Afghanistan making their way to the United States through South America, Central America, arriving at the U.S.

southern border.

Tell me why you and your family left and what that journey was like.

SAIDA FAQIRZADA: So, my family, due to the reasons that they had at that time or we still have, that we believe in human rights and woman rights and democracy and freedom, my family couldn't stay and live under Taliban control and to live in Afghanistan.

So they left the country, and they arrived to the United States hoping that they will rebuild the life that they really wanted from the day first.

And they really worked on it.

Specifically, Sajad was also working towards that and follow the laws of this country, and gave it back to the community that gave us safety and hope in the United States.

AMNA NAWAZ: Was it a general sense of not being able to stay in Afghanistan?

Had you been specifically targeted in any way?

SAIDA FAQIRZADA: Due to our ethnicity and minorities that we are coming from, we are one of those minorities in Afghanistan, and also due to our activities, my mom's job with the government and my job with the government and also Ali's job with the government.

And we faced discrimination.

We faced life-threatening messages, phone calls.

We received all these phone calls and messages.

It was not only opposing to me.

It was always opposing to the whole family, mentioning their names, mentioning our names.

So this was difficult for us to remain in Afghanistan and live our -- the rest of our life there.

AMNA NAWAZ: Saida, people will also wonder, was there another way that Ali could have entered the United States?

Could he have presented at a legal port of entry, for example, to make an asylum claim?

SAIDA FAQIRZADA: As far as my family concern is, or Ali's, I can clearly say, Amna, when you are running away from something, when you are in search of safety and you are just looking for something -- so let me just give you an example.

If our kid is really, like, seriously injured, are we going to the doctor's appointment and calling the secretary to book an appointment with a specific doctor regarding that situation, or we just run to the emergency?

For asylum seekers, I can compare that with that situation as well, specifically for Afghans who were running away from something and to save their life.

So they had to run and they had to seek asylum.

AMNA NAWAZ: Anwen, let me bring you in here, because there's obviously been a number of reports of other people from Afghanistan in not dissimilar circumstances who have been deported to a number of other countries, to Panama and to Costa Rica and to the United Arab Emirates.

What happens now in Ali's case?

ANWEN HUGHES: His lawyers have made a request for parole to the ICE field office responsible for his case.

And this is basically asking ICE to release him while his case goes on.

Given that he has passed this credible fear interview, what happens from here is going to be the same procedurally, regardless of whether or not he's released, which is to say that he's going to have a series of hearings in front of the immigration court and an immigration judge is then going to make a decision on his asylum claim.

After suffering already the upheaval of forced migration from Afghanistan to the United States and now the additional trauma of detention, we very much hope that he can be released, so that his case can move forward before the immigration court.

AMNA NAWAZ: Since he was taken into detention into custody, have you been able to speak with him?

Do you know anything about where he's being held or how he's doing?

SAIDA FAQIRZADA: Yes.

Yes.

We are in contact with him.

He can call us and we can also visit him.

AMNA NAWAZ: And what can you tell us about how he's doing?

What has he shared with you?

SAIDA FAQIRZADA: He's still hopeful.

He still believe in the system of the United States and policies of the immigration.

And, also, he still believe, our family still believe in justice.

And we are hopeful.

AMNA NAWAZ: Saida Faqirzada and family lawyer Anwen Hughes, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us.

We appreciate it.

ANWEN HUGHES: Thank you.

SAIDA FAQIRZADA: Thank you, Amna, for having us.