HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — Just days before he was set to start the school year at J.R. Tucker High School, 19-year-old Arman Momand was arrested by ICE officers at the Henrico courthouse last Friday.
"This experience has been very traumatic for everybody associated with the family," said Miriam Airington-Fisher, Momand's immigration attorney.
The arrest was made despite Momand having a special visa granted to him because of his family's help to the United States military in Afghanistan.
"It's a very, very difficult visa to get. It's reserved for people who are nationals of Afghanistan or Iraq, who, at their own peril, assisted American military in our operations in those countries," Airington-Fisher said.
Momand was at court for charges related to a December 2024 driving incident. He faced multiple charges, including a felony. Two were resolved and three were set aside. Ultimately, he was found guilt of misdemeanor reckless driving and disorderly conduct, and was not given jail time for either.
"Because the vast majority of the charges were dropped and the ultimate resolution was a minor misdemeanor, that he would be released and be able to pick up and resume with his permanent residency case with the rest of his family, but instead, ICE decided to execute the detainer, pick him up, put him in immigration detention, and is now attempting to deport him," Airington-Fisher said.
Airington-Fisher says this incident differs from those previously executed at local courthouses, explaining ICE targeted Momand specifically.
"In my view, it's inappropriate legally, and it's also a waste of government resources," she said.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin addressed the arrest Tuesday afternoon.
"This is a 19-year-old person who had full understanding of what he was doing," Youngkin said. "ICE has the full authority to investigate this circumstance, and he literally violated, violated the law, and was found guilty. And in that circumstance, he's here under a provisional visa as an adult, and they have every authority to go investigate this, and that's what they're doing."
State Senator Ghazala Hashmi also commented on the incident.
"Arman Momand is a high school student with a valid visa whose father made significant contributions to the U.S. Government in Afghanistan. When ICE agents arrest immigrants with legal status like Arman Momand, they erode necessary trust between communities and law enforcement, making everyone less safe. Virginia must be a place where all people are treated with dignity, respect, and fairness under the rule of law. I will work with our federal officials to address this overreach by ICE agents," Hashmi stated.
Momand's family is devastated, according to Airington-Fisher. While he is currently being held in Farmville Detention Center, her office is working to secure his release.
"He was a student, he was a volunteer, and not somebody that is in line with the rhetoric of who the administration says they're going after," she said.
Armon is set to appear in a preliminary hearing later this month regarding his immigration status.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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