Former Taliban Diplomat Detained by U.S. Immigration Officials

On April 1, 2025, the U.S. immigration system demonstrated its reach by detaining Mohammad Rahim Wahidi, a former Taliban ambassador, sparking debates over national security and immigration policies.

Mohammad Rahim Wahidi, who previously served as the Taliban's ambassador to Spain, was detained by U.S. immigration officials upon his return to the United States over the weekend. The detention, which lasted more than 30 hours at Washington Dulles International Airport, followed the refusal of a federal judge to grant his immediate release.

Wahidi, who holds lawful permanent residency, is married to U.S. citizen Mary Shakeri-Wahidi. His lawyer, Hassan Ahmad, contends that Wahidi's detention is an example of the government's misuse of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows for the deportation of noncitizens deemed national security risks. Recently, similar tactics have been employed against students involved in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, where the government has sought to connect their actions to potential foreign policy risks.

Wahidi’s situation is particularly complex due to a familial connection to a criminal case. His brother-in-law is wanted in the U.S. for alleged involvement in an assassination plot against an Iranian journalist. Although in Spain, Wahidi faced accusations of sexual assault, no criminal charges were brought against him, and he departed the country without further incident.

Following his arrest on a Turkish Airlines flight, Wahidi was subjected to prolonged detention without legal representation, as outlined in court filings. After his lawyer's petition to secure his release, Judge Leonie Brinkema of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia issued an order preventing the government from transferring Wahidi to detention facilities outside the region, which has been a common practice for other detainees.

Though the judge acknowledged the legal grounds for Wahidi's detention, she refrained from ordering his release at this stage in the proceedings. Nevertheless, she mandated that authorities comply with short-term detention standards and allow Wahidi access to legal counsel.

As the case unfolds, concerns over how immigration policies intersect with national security and individual rights continue to grow, encapsulated in the ongoing discourse about the treatment of noncitizens in the U.S.