Judge gives ICE until Monday to present options for CT student's release
The Cheshire High School honors student was arrested for being an "illegal alien" – even though he was granted humanitarian status in 2024. His father, an interpreter who worked with American soldiers in Afghanistan, was released from ICE custody six months ago.
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A federal judge is giving Immigration and Customs Enforcement until Monday to present options for releasing a Cheshire teenager as his case progresses.
The high schooler was arrested just months after a judge forced ICE to release his father, who served as an interpreter for American troops in Afghanistan.
On Friday, Connecticut leaders demanded that the "A student" be returned home immediately.
STUDENT DETAINED
Immigration agents arrested 19-year-old “Rihan” on Monday morning as he left his house with an uncle. News 12 Connecticut is not revealing the teen’s last name due to safety threats against his family overseas.
The Cheshire High School senior is now being held at an ICE detention center in Plymouth, Massachusetts – the same facility his father, Zia, was held at for two months.
“There is no lawful basis for Rihan’s detention,” attorney Lauren Petersen said at a state Capitol news conference. “He must be released immediately.”
Rihan came to the U.S. legally in 2024, Petersen said. He was granted humanitarian parole, a temporary immigration status for “urgent humanitarian reasons,” because his father’s work with the U.S. Army placed the family in danger.
“He is here only because his family helped our troops in Afghanistan,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal.
The Dept. of Homeland Security has offered no reason for revoking the teen’s immigration status. It was set to expire in October, but Rihan had applied for a green card.
“The family followed all the rules; it’s done everything right. It’s our government that is not following its own rules,” Petersen told reporters.
Cheshire school leaders said Rihan is an honors student just months away from graduating. He hopes to become a cardiologist.
“I am heartbroken as a superintendent and disgusted as an American,” Cheshire superintendent Dr. Jeff Solan wrote parents. “Please keep our student and their family in your thoughts and prayers.”
FATHER DETAINED, THEN RELEASED
Critics believe Rihan’s arrest is retaliation after a federal judge forced ICE to release his father six months ago.
“Now they are detaining his son because they failed in the effort to get Zia,” Blumenthal said.
Agents arrested Zia outside an immigration check-in last July, calling him “a risk to the national security of the United States” in court filings. The case made national headlines, with veterans rallying to his defense.
Zia is now seeking asylum in the U.S.
“This is not about criminals; this is about quotas. This is about ICE agents trying to make their numbers,” said Connecticut Attorney General William Tong. “Think of your own children and send Rihan home to Cheshire today."
“ILLEGAL ALIEN”
In a statement, a DHS spokesperson said Rihan is an “illegal alien” who was arrested for “immigration violations” – but declined to offer specifics.
“Biden-era parole programs let in 190,000 Afghan nationals with a vetting process that was demonstrably inadequate,” the spokesperson said. “No overseas criminal background checks were performed, social media accounts were not screened, and there was no systematic cross-referencing of information. In many cases, entry was granted on the basis of a single recommendation.”
DHS added: “A pending Green Card application does not shield an alien from enforcement actions by ICE. He will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings. All his claims will be heard, and he will receive full due process.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
Rihan may not stay in custody for long.
U.S District Judge Vernon Oliver ordered DHS to submit “potential options for [Rihan’s] pretrial release” by Monday afternoon. That’s the same day the teen was supposed to go back to school after Spring Break.
“For his family who is going to watch this later as a recording in the safety of their home where they are sheltering, we’re going to get your son home to you,” Petersen said.
DHS is challenging whether Oliver, who presides in Connecticut, has jurisdiction over the case since Rihan is being held in Massachusetts. Oliver ordered the agency not to move him more than 150 miles outside of Connecticut until the judge rules on the question.
