Afghan who was convicted and deported from US for rape regains entry into the country on evacuation flight

By , K24 Digital
On Tue, 31 Aug, 2021 19:26 | < 1 min read
Afghans wait in long lines for hours to try to withdraw money, in front of a Bank in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug. 30, 2021.

A man who had been convicted of rape and deported from the U.S. was allowed to board an Afghan evacuation flight and reach America, law enforcement sources say.

When American citizens were having trouble catching flights out of Kabul, Ghader Heydari made it on an Ethiopian Airlines charter flight for evacuees.

Border officials flagged the 47-year-old on his arrival at Washington Dulles International Airport. They appear to be the first to have spotted his criminal and immigration history and derailed his entry.

Heydari is being held at the Caroline Detention Facility in Bowling Green, Virginia, The Washington Times has learned.

“They are bringing far too many people in far too quickly to be able to effectively vet them,” said Ken Cuccinelli, a deputy secretary at Homeland Security in the Trump administration.

Heydari’s exact path to entry is not clear, though it’s unlikely he holds a Special Immigrant Visa. Those were reserved for Afghans who provided significant support for the U.S. in the war effort.

It’s also not likely he is a refugee, given his immigration history.