Ghader Heydari, a convicted man who was previously deported by the Trump administration, managed to reach the U.S. soil after boarding an evacuation flight from Kabul, Afghanistan. Heydari is presently being held at the Caroline Detention Facility in Bowling Green, Virginia.
On Tuesday, a U.S. C-17 aircraft lifted off from Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport carrying Americans, ending 20 years of U.S. military presence in Afghanistan. Immediately after the take-off, the Taliban fighters fired hundreds of celebratory rounds in the air.
Heydari Was Deported From U.S. in 2017
The Washington Times reported that Heydari, who was earlier deported in 2017, boarded the Ethiopian Airlines charter flight for the evacuees from Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
However, after arriving at the Washington Dulles International Airport, he was flagged off by the officials. The 47-year-old was then moved to the Caroline Detention Facility.
Speaking to the outlet, Ken Cuccinelli, a deputy secretary at Homeland Security in the Trump administration, expressed his apprehension about those being evacuated from Afghanistan. "They are bringing far too many people in far too quickly to be able to effectively vet them," he said.
According to The Western Journal, in 2010, a man bearing Heydari's profile pled guilty to rape in Ada County, Idaho. After serving more than five years in the prison the man was released in 2015. He was finally deported from the U.S. soil in 2017.
Gaffe Causes Major Embarrassment to Biden Administration
After the reports of Heydari's escape from Afghanistan surfaced, social media users expressed their displeasure.
"When American citizens were having trouble catching flights out of Kabul, convicted rapist Ghader Heydari made it on an Ethiopian Airlines charter flight for evacuees. Heydari is being held at the Caroline Detention Facility in Bowling Green, Virginia," tweeted a user.
"Convicted rapist, #GhaderHeydari reached the U.S. on Afghan evacuation flight but the Biden admin has not answered HOW he was allowed re-entry. He has a record of conviction in Idaho and spent 5 years incarcerated. He was subsequently deported in 2017," wrote another.
"Why was convicted rapist Ghader Heydari — who was previously deported — allowed to reach the US on an Afghan evacuation flight?" questioned a user.
Earlier, Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz too had expressed his apprehensions about the Afghan refugees arrival. "Touring the Dona Ana camp at Fort Bliss this morning, where Biden admin plans to house 10,000 Afghan refugees. We should rescue Afghans who've assisted the US military, but they should go to a neutral & safe third country. They should NOT come to US w/o a FULL security vetting," he tweeted.
