President Biden asked to intervene by veterans in asylum case of Afghan soldier detained after border crossing

President Biden is being asked by U.S. veterans groups to intervene in an asylum case involving an Afghan soldier who previously fought against the Taliban.

Abdul Wasi Safi previously served with U.S. Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan, and after Kabul fell in August 2021, continued to fight the Taliban alongside the Northern resistance.

Wasi traveled to multiple safe houses after being forced to flee Afghanistan and relied on U.S. veteran volunteers in order to get aid and potential relocation, but was met with "harsh treatment and branded as a terrorist by the local community," when he entered Pakistan, according to a letter by U.S. veterans groups that was sent to Biden on Dec. 21.

"He traveled on foot or by bus through 10 countries, surviving torture, robbery, and attempts on his life, to seek asylum in the United States from the threats on his life, and expecting a hero’s welcome from his American allies," the letter states.

AFGHAN SPECIAL FORCES COMMANDO SEEKING ASYLUM GETS CAUGHT IN BROKEN US IMMIGRATION SYSTEM

While Wasi was able to find his way to America's southern border on Sept. 30, he was detained by U.S. border patrol agents and charged with illegal entry, according to the letter. Wasi is currently being held at Eden Detention Center in Texas.

The veterans groups urge Biden in their letter to grant Wasi parolee status.

"Given the known retaliations from the Taliban on Afghan Special Operations Forces, Lieutenant Wasi’s asylum case is certainly credible and his death is certain if he were to be deported back to Afghanistan. The Afghan Special Forces faithfully served America, and not one of them should have to endure a path like this to reach safety," the letter states. "We urge you to fulfill America’s promise to Lieutenant Abdul Wasi Safi and begin to heal the moral injury by granting him a parolee status as he awaits a hearing on his justifiable asylum claim."

WHAT IS THE AFGHAN ADJUSTMENT ACT AND HOW COULD IT HELP AMERICA'S FORGOTTEN ALLIES?

Groups such as Special Operations Association of America, Save Our Allies, Ukraine NGO Coordination Network, and Project Exodus are among those who signed the letter.

In a previous phone interview with Fox News from the Eden Detention Center, Wasi said he's disappointed in America's response when he crossed the border,

"I was in a special force commando unit with the U.S. military," Wasi said. "I wanted to come to the United States. I don't select another country to help me because I was with them. But I come here, and they put me in jail."

"Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico. I cross all that distance to come to United States because I was thinking and hoping the American government that they will help me," Wasi said.

Fox News' Jennifer Griffin, Liz Friden, and Krista Garvin contributed to this report.

Congress misses its deadline to fund the government again

Believe it or not, despite weeks of machinations, a 4,100-page bill and a House roll call vote on December 23rd, Congress still missed its deadline to fund the government. 

What?

The government didn’t shut down in the wee hours of Christmas Eve morning – even though Congress managed to approve the bill before the 11:59:59 pm et deadline on the 23rd. Lawmakers dithered for weeks – dragging out the final vote on the omnibus spending bill until nearly the last moment. 

The Senate okayed the final version on Thursday afternoon. The House, on Friday afternoon.

So what gives?

Congress just doesn’t run down to Staples, buy a couple of reams of computer paper off the shelf and then print the bill out on a Xerox Phaser 3610, sending that version to the President to sign into law.

A big, complicated bill like the omnibus must be "engrossed" and "enrolled." Engrossment refers to the final version of legislation when passed by one body or other – but before it’s sent to the other chamber. In other words, the Senate passed the omnibus and then altered the legislation on the fly, adopting a host of amendments. So, upon passage, the Senate sent the tweaked version to the House to pass.

Once the House approved the bill, both bodies were in sync. But, it would take time for Congressional enrollment clerks to finalize the bill for President Biden’s signature

This is not an easy process. In fact, it was likely the enrollment clerks would need a couple of days to get the bill into proper parliamentary form as it was – even if they worked Christmas Eve and Christmas day.

Federal law requires Congress to print the legislation on parchment. That’s a practice which dates back to the beginning of the republic. Printing the bills on parchment was a method to protect Congress against forgeries. Plus, the Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate need to sign the bill. So, the technical process of getting the omnibus to the President to sign before the Friday night deadline was out of the question. This was going to take until a few days after Christmas at the earliest.

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Despite the sturm and drang about "funding the government before the deadline," Congress punted. Again. 

Very quietly – with nary a creature stirring – both the House and Senate approved yet another interim spending bill. This would just keep the lights on for a few days, giving the enrollment clerks time to prepare the bill. It would only run through December 30.

So, while Congress approved the omnibus, the government operated on the third Band-Aid bill okayed by Congress since September. 

"It’s just managing risk," said Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Eighteen Senate Republicans – including Shelby – voted for the omnibus bill. Only nine House Republicans voted aye. But the omnibus served as a case study in the growing schism in the Republican party – between MAGA conservatives and other "mainstream" GOPers.

"We had 18 Republicans who joined with Democrats in the Senate, get on their fancy planes and go home. And we're sitting here trying to do the work of the people, not spend money we don't have," thundered Rep. Chip Roy, R-Tex., in the House chamber.

Roy’s face reddened as he hollered and gestured, his oratory audible in a Capitol hallway one floor up from the House chamber – even though the doors were closed. 

"I want to remind the members that the microphones are working," sniped House Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern, D-Mass., at Roy. "People don't have to shout."

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., later took the floor to chastise Democrats – and some Republicans – who supported the omnibus.

While McCarthy may have railed against the bill, the legislation may actually have done him two favors.

First, it funds the government into next September. That way, the House Republican majority won’t need to wrestle with government funding when it takes control next year. Secondly, you always need a foil in politics. McCarthy is struggling to find the votes to become Speaker. So McCarthy ranted against the omnibus in a lengthy floor speech.

"This is a monstrosity that is one of the most shameful acts I've ever seen in this body. The appropriations process failed the American public, and there's no greater example of the nail in the coffin of the greatest failure of a one party rule of the House, the Senate and the presidency," pronounced McCarthy.

A MESSY SPEAKER'S RACE IN THE HOUSE THREATENS TO SPILL A LOT OF MILK FOR THE GOP

A number of McCarthy’s most ardent supporters filled in the seats behind him in the House chamber, eager to create a visual on camera that they backed the California Republican for Speaker. Among them, Reps. Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., Clay Higgins, R-La., and David Kustoff, R-Tenn.

Apparently McGovern portrayed the roles of both Muppet characters Statler and Waldorf, during the floor debate, heckling McCarthy at the conclusion of his remarks.

"After listening to that, it’s clear, he doesn’t have the votes yet," deadpanned McGovern.

"He's not going to be Speaker," observed McCarthy antagonist Rep. Bob Good, R-Va. "He doesn't have the 218 votes. I recently told him that he's should withdraw from the race for the good of the country, for the good of the Congress and for the good the Republican Party."

A staggering 230 members filed letters with the House Clerk, allowing them to vote remotely on the omnibus. The House implemented proxy voting in the House in the spring of 2020 for the pandemic. But the system is now rife with abuse. Technically, lawmakers are supposed to attest they’re begging off and voting from home due to COVID. But that’s rarely the case anymore.

McCarthy vowed to eliminate proxy voting in his quest to clasp the Speaker’s gavel. 

Chip Roy saved his pugnacious rhetoric for remote voting. 

"The American people deserve us to be here over Christmas, actually fighting for them instead of trying to catch planes while half this body are going to vote by proxy," lectured Roy. "They're lying on forms saying that they're voting by proxy for COVID and it's a lie. And half this body's going to do it."

Only one Democrat voted against the omnibus: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortex, D-N.Y. But fellow squad member, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., voted by proxy. Tlaib didn’t vote yes or no. Tlaib announced that her vote was "present" – despite her absence.

Congress never hurts for irony. And the irony here is that there’s no real break between the end of the 117thCongress and the start of the 118th Congress on January 3. 

So it may look like they’re all wrapped up on Capitol Hill. But with the Speaker’s vote on January 3, in reality, things are just getting started.

Nothing is ever truly complete in Congress.