Governor Glenn Youngkin minced few words when asked about the federal detainment of a 19-year-old son of an Afghan refugee who helped with US military operations overseas.
“He’s here under a provisional visa as an adult and they have every authority to go investigate this,” Youngkin told the press outside the Governor’s Mansion Tuesday afternoon.
He was responding to questions about Immigration and Customs Enforcement detaining 19-year-old Arman Momand after he pled guilty to traffic violations in Henrico County last week.
Momand entered the US lawfully after his father aided the U.S. military in operations in Afghanistan. The family got the visa after approval from U.S. Military Command and it opens the door to permanent residency after four years.
Miriam Airington-Fisher is Momand’s immigration attorney. She said he was detained after his guilty plea and is now being held in an ICE facility in Farmville, but she’s optimistic, considering his crimes were misdemeanors which she said are not punishable by removal, that he won't be sent back to Afghanistan.
“There is nothing about the resolution of his criminal case that should impact his eligibility for his green card,” the attorney told Radio IQ. “Frankly, that’s why we think this is a waste of government resources.”
Airington-Fisher said the Department of Homeland Security is seeking revocation of his admission and his removal from the country.
The arrest has elicited strong responses from beyond the governor’s mansion. Henrico-area Senator Schuyler VanValkenburg called the arrest uniquely cruel.
“We brought them here to be safe. I think it’s a betrayal of that family’s trust and the work they did for us,” He told Radio IQ. “I think it's a pretty heartless thing to say we should just send him back.”
When pressed on such concerns, Youngkin said charges dropped against Momand included evading police and that requires more scrutiny. And Democrats' complaints were mere conjecture.
“You’re concluding an outcome and it's just wrong,” he said. “This is somebody who’s in high school, who's 19-years-old, who literally broke the law.”
“He didn’t pull over and say ‘I’m sorry,’” Youngkin added. “The government said ‘we understand there’s problems at home,’ but they should respect the fact they’re here on a visa.
The incident comes a week after Youngkin announced the detainment of over 3,300 people across Virginia since Trump took office. A list of those detained has still not been made public.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
