I’m as shocked as anyone else that I find myself in agreement with Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), yet here we are. Jackson Lee is asking the White House to issue a presidential pardon for an Afghan man who is being held for illegally crossing the southern border.

Biden’s disastrous bug-out from Afghanistan continues to reap consequences. In this case, Abdul Wasi Safi is seeking asylum in the United States. He crossed the southern border to reunite with his brother. His brother is now a naturalized U.S. citizen. Jackson-Lee asks that Safi receive a pardon and be granted asylum. “This is a mistake that needs to be corrected immediately,” she said at a news conference Friday.

Wasi, as he is known, worked as an intelligence officer in the Afghan National Security Forces alongside U.S. troops. He fled Afghanistan in 2021 as the Taliban began targeting citizens who had previously helped the U.S. during the decadeslong war. Wasi crossed three continents to make it to the Texas border, where he hoped to meet his brother, who is now a naturalized U.S. citizen. Instead, he was arrested and has been in custody since Sept. 30.

“I’m calling on Biden’s administration to release my brother,” said Sami-ullah Safi, Wasi’s brother. “He believed in this mission of this country in Afghanistan. That’s why he fought alongside the United States Special Forces … to eliminate terrorism.”

These are the people Joe Biden pledged to not leave behind. Yet, we know that thousands of Afghan citizens were left to fend for themselves against the Taliban as they rushed in to take over the country when the U.S. and other Western countries left the country. Jackson Lee said in her letter that the U.S. owes Wasi a debt of gratitude and should be given a pardon and the ability to start a new life in America without a criminal record.

“When their service exposes them to credible threats, we must redouble our effort to keep our word because doing so also protects our troops stationed around the world today and into the future,” the letter reads.

Wasi, who is facing criminal charges for attempting to cross the border without proper paperwork, was expected to have a plea hearing earlier this week. However, a new legal team asked for an extension. Wasi has also begun to cooperate with the federal government. He was interviewed by the FBI earlier this month.

Jackson Lee is co-chair of the House Afghanistan caucus. She is the highest profile official to demand Wasi’s release. Several military and immigrant rights groups also call on the White House to intervene. Jackson Lee said she thinks the White House has not received those messages. I would argue that this is the administration that can’t shoot straight. Everything they do turns to garbage. The disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan set the tone for this administration. Attention to detail went out the window in the last chaotic hours of the withdrawal and so many were left behind though they had been told they would have a way out of the country. Now those who were left behind face the threat of death by the Taliban because they helped the U.S. military.

Where is Senator Lindsey Graham on this? Or Tom Cotton? They usually speak up on military matters. Both are critics of Biden’s execution of withdrawal from Afghanistan. Jackson Lee is leading the fight for Wasi because his brother lives in Houston, which Jackson Lee represents in Congress.

“I characterize this as a logistical error and nightmare for Mr. Safi,” she said. Jackson Lee specifically underlined the criminal misdemeanor charges as the major cause for Wasi’s asylum case delays.

“I’m the last person that wants to jeopardize the national security of this nation, or to jeopardize any security for the American people, but I think it is important to try to be fair across the board,” Jackson Lee said.

Good luck to him. The least that Biden can do is to fix cases like this when he is made aware of them. The withdrawal from Afghanistan is a stain on our country’s history. When Biden has a chance to make it right for a military aide, he should. It’s the least he can do.

Mr. Abdul Wasi Safi crossed three continents and sustained serious injuries to reach the Texas-Mexico border and, after crossing the border into the United States outside of a point of entry, he was taken into U.S. custody.

— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) January 13, 2023

I don’t fault Border Patrol for taking him into custody. That’s their job. However, if the border wasn’t so porous, thanks to Biden’s neglect, this wouldn’t even be a story.