ROCK HILL, S.C. — A man who came to the United States after fighting alongside its soldiers in Afghanistan said he received an email telling him to self-deport.
He was in the Afghan army and helped U.S. troops before the war in Afghanistan ended in 2021. He said he was promised shelter and a life in the U.S.
“If I want to go to Afghanistan, they’ll kill us. Me, my family, and children,” he said.
Channel 9’s Tina Terry spoke with him. For his safety, Channel 9 has chosen not to share his name.
He said he is one of thousands who received the email from Homeland Security. He said it gave him seven days to leave the country.
But he said returning to Afghanistan would be a death sentence.
“How can I go? Where can I go?” he said. “That’s a big problem for us.”
The letter says, “It is time for you to leave the United States.” And that if he doesn’t leave now, he will be “subject to potential law enforcement actions.”
He is one of the thousands who rushed to the airport in August 2021 to get on a U.S. plane. But the chaos in the Kabul airport left him and his family stranded.
He said he, his wife, and their three children had been living on the run. They kept up hope until they secured passage into Iran. And then Brazil. Until he made it to the U.S.-Mexico border in 2024.
His family used a program called the CBP One to get into the U.S. The program was introduced in 2020 to allow immigrants to begin the asylum process as they arrive at the border.
President Donald Trump canceled the program earlier in 2025. The first cancellation notices were sent in March.
Immigration Attorney Ursula Bonar told Terry that she told the immigrant to stay in the country, despite the letter.
“He’s a legal immigrant. He entered the U.S. legally,” she said. “He was given permission to be here and he was well within the time frame that his permissions were given. So I told him, ‘Do not leave. Go to work.’”
Bonar said the immigrant has already begun seeking permanent asylum through the courts. And she said she thinks it will be granted.
“That’s why the courts are here, that’s why this is the United States, we can rely on our courts,” Bonar said.
She said she thinks the email targeted those who used the CBP One program.
But in a press release earlier in 2025, department director Kristi Noem said, “The Biden Administration exploited the CBP One app to allow more than 1 million aliens to illegally enter the United States.”
The Department of Homeland Security released a statement addressing the incident, saying:
“CBP has issued notices terminating parole for individuals who do not have lawful status to remain. This process is not limited to CBP One users and does not currently apply to those paroled under programs such as U4U and OAW.
CBP used the known email addresses of the alien to send notifications. If a non-personal email—such as an American citizen contact—was provided by the alien, notices may have been sent to unintended recipients. CBP is monitoring communications and will address any issues on a case-by-case basis.
To be clear: If you are an alien, being in the United States is a privilege—not a right. We are acting in the best interest of the country and enforcing the law accordingly."
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