US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrested an illegal immigrant from Afghanistan in Rochester, New York, on January 1, as per a news release issued earlier this week. In a formal declaration published January 12 (US time), ICE officials announced online that 39-year-old Waheed Allah Mohammad, who was convicted of killing his own Muslim sister years ago, was facing deportation from the US.

Afghan immigrant arrested years after murder attempt, deportation order

As per the official release on the ICE website, Mohammad stabbed his sister several times after a 2008 argument. At the time, he is said to have confronted his 19-year-old sister of being a “bad Muslim girl.” He had accused the teen girl of disgracing their family by dressing immodestly and frequently visiting dance clubs.

ICE Director Todd M Lyons further called out Waheed Allah Mohammad as a “criminal illegal alien” who “tried to kill his own sister” in the news release shared Monday.

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The Afghan-origin man was convicted of first-degree attempted murder and first-degree assault after the violent incident in 2008. A court ultimately sentenced him to 10 years in prison and five years of supervision, as per the ICE release.

“When we say ICE is arresting the ‘worst of the worst,’ this is exactly what we mean. We’re conducting targeted enforcement operations to arrest and remove convicted criminals like Mohammad who pose clear threats to their families, communities and states,” the ICE director added.

Waheed Allah Mohammad’s legal status in the US explored

Lyons and ICE authorities have since disclosed that while Mohammad lawfully entered the United States on May 24, 2004, his attempted murder conviction flipped his legal status in the country. In light of the violation, New York state announced his conviction and sentence on February 6, 2009.

Shortly after that, ICE Buffalo pushed his name for removal proceedings in April 2009. Thereafter, a Justice Department immigration judge ordered his deportation from the US on May 31, 2012.

Despite the previous deportation order, Mohammad was arrested earlier this month in the state of New York. According to the latest update offered by ICE, the Afghan immigrant will remain in ICE custody until he is removed from the US.

“Waheed Allah Mohammad was given a golden opportunity to lawfully reside in the United States, but instead of making the most of his American dream, he decided to break our laws by violently attacking his own sister,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Buffalo acting Field Office Director Tammy Marich, as per the news release.

“As a convicted violent offender, Mohammad represents the worst of the worst and is exactly the kind of alien that ICE Buffalo seeks to remove from our New York neighborhoods. ICE Buffalo will continue to prioritize the safety of our American communities by arresting and removing criminal alien offenders from our streets.”

Mohammad’s name particularly grabbed attention in the news as nationals from Afghanistan face severe scrutiny on the US visa front. The Donald Trump administration announced late November 2025 that it was suspending processing all immigration requests from Afghans after a man from the South Asian country was identified as the suspect in the shooting of two National Guard members near the White House.

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Amid the administration’s already ramped up and reiterated policy changes related to immigration crackdown, the Trump administration indefinitely suspended immigrant visa process for nationals from 75 countries just this week. The expansive freeze is set to take effect on January 21.

According to a US State Department cable obtained by the Guardian and Fox News, the list of countries impacted in the renewed ‘America First’ sweeping blow include:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and Yemen.