The Betrayal of American Values: Mohammad Ali Dadfar's Unjust Detention and the Assault on Due Process

The Facts of the Case

Mohammad Ali Dadfar, a 37-year-old Afghan immigrant who served alongside U.S. military forces during the twenty-year conflict in Afghanistan, currently sits in Greene County Jail in Springfield, Missouri, detained without bond since early October. This father of four children—all under age 12—entered the United States legally through a Customs and Border Protection appointment made via the Department of Homeland Security’s app in June 2024. He was granted parole valid until June 17, 2026, and received work authorization allowing him to support his family as an over-the-road trucker.

Dadfar’s arrest occurred on October 10 at an Indiana weigh station during his regular trucking route, just three days after a federal judge had found Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in violation of a 2022 consent decree regarding warrantless arrests. According to the federal lawsuit filed by Kansas City-based immigration attorney Rekha Sharma-Crawford, Indiana State Police held Dadfar for five hours without providing a reason or warrant before transferring him to ICE officials in Chicago, where he was held for two additional days without explanation.

The lawsuit names Greene County Sheriff Jim C. Arnott, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, and ICE’s Chicago Field Office Director Samuel Olson as defendants. It challenges Dadfar’s detention as a violation of the 2022 Castañon Nava federal consent decree, which covers six states and limits warrantless arrests to circumstances where there’s legitimate fear the person will escape before a warrant can be obtained. The legal filing argues Dadfar presented no flight risk, having properly entered the country, applied for asylum, maintained employment, and supported his family while awaiting his February 2026 asylum hearing.

Context: America’s Obligation to Afghan Allies

Dadfar’s story cannot be understood without acknowledging the broader context of America’s relationship with those who assisted our military efforts in Afghanistan. As a security officer with the Afghan military, Dadfar worked directly with U.S. troops, putting himself and his family at extreme risk in a country where collaboration with American forces made individuals targets for Taliban retaliation. When the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021 under the Biden administration, Dadfar was among thousands left behind in what has been widely criticized as a chaotic and poorly executed departure.

His subsequent three-year journey to reach safety included stays in Iran and Brazil, with the family nearly losing a toddler daughter during the dangerous crossing through the roadless jungle of the Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama. That this family endured such trauma only to face separation through what appears to be an unconstitutional detention represents a profound failure of America’s moral and legal obligations to those who stood with us.

The Legal and Constitutional Crisis

The systematic violation of due process rights evident in Dadfar’s case represents nothing less than a constitutional crisis unfolding within our immigration enforcement system. The 2022 Castañon Nava consent decree exists precisely to prevent the kind of warrantless detention that Dadfar is experiencing. That ICE continues these practices despite over 100 courts having determined the government’s interpretation of law to be incorrect demonstrates either astonishing institutional arrogance or deliberate contempt for judicial authority.

Attorney Rekha Sharma-Crawford’s statement that “It’s un-American” barely captures the severity of this situation. What we are witnessing is the erosion of fundamental constitutional protections under the Fourth Amendment, which guards against unreasonable searches and seizures. The fact that 97% of immigrants arrested during Operation Midway Blitz around Chicago had no criminal record—as reported by NPR citing DHS’s own records—suggests that these operations are not targeting “the worst of the worst” as claimed, but rather conducting indiscriminate sweeps that violate basic rights.

The Human Cost of Policy Failure

Beyond the legal implications, the human cost of these practices is devastating. Dadfar’s wife must maintain the fiction for their younger children that their father is simply away working, while only she and their 11-year-old daughter know the terrible truth. Every time Dadfar calls, he perpetuates this painful deception, telling his children he’s trying to finish work as soon as possible to return home. This psychological trauma inflicted on children represents a moral failure that should outrage every American who believes in family values and human dignity.

The additional revelation that Homeland Security paperwork claims Dadfar denied fearing deportation to Afghanistan—when immigration officials never actually asked him this question—suggests either bureaucratic incompetence or deliberate misrepresentation. Either possibility is unacceptable in a system that holds the power to separate families and potentially return individuals to life-threatening situations.

The Broader Pattern of Institutional Failure

Dadfar’s case is not isolated but part of a disturbing pattern that extends beyond immigration enforcement. The Trump administration’s suspension of the U.S. refugee program shortly after taking office left immigrants who had already been approved for travel without a route to enter the U.S., while the State Department suspended funding to help resettle Afghan refugees already in the country. These policy decisions created the conditions for the humanitarian crisis we now witness in cases like Dadfar’s.

The continued efforts to target immigrants through operations like Guardian and Midway Blitz, despite judicial findings of unconstitutional practices, demonstrate an administration that appears more committed to political messaging than lawful governance. When governments operate outside the constraints of their own laws and judicial oversight, they cease to be democratic institutions and become instruments of oppression.

The Path Forward: Restoring American Principles

As a nation founded by immigrants and built on the principles of liberty and justice for all, we must demand better. First, Dadfar and others similarly situated must be immediately released and provided with due process as required by law. Second, Congress must exercise rigorous oversight over ICE operations to ensure compliance with constitutional standards and judicial decrees. Third, we need comprehensive immigration reform that creates clear, accessible pathways for those like Dadfar who have legitimate claims to asylum, particularly when they risked their lives supporting American military efforts.

Most importantly, we must reaffirm our commitment to the rule of law and constitutional principles that make America exceptional. The arbitrary exercise of power without judicial oversight is the antithesis of American democracy. That a man who stood with American troops against the Taliban now sits in jail without proper legal process should alarm every citizen regardless of political affiliation.

Conclusion: A Test of American Character

The treatment of Mohammad Ali Dadfar represents a test of American character and our commitment to the values we claim to represent. Will we honor our obligations to those who risked everything to help American forces, or will we betray them through bureaucratic indifference and constitutional violations? Will we uphold due process and the rule of law, or will we allow these fundamental principles to be sacrificed for political expediency?

Dadfar’s case is about more than one man’s detention—it’s about who we are as a nation and what values we will defend. The words “liberty and justice for all” must mean something, or they mean nothing at all. We must choose whether America will remain a beacon of hope and freedom or become just another nation that abandons its allies and violates its own principles. The choice is ours, and history will judge us by how we answer.