WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — It was early last month when the Kohistani brothers from Afghanistan, Emran and Sajad, were detained by ICE during a routine check inside a West Valley City immigration court after having lived in the U.S. for nearly three years.
On Wednesday, nearly 6 weeks later, the brothers were back in the courtroom, but this time it was to finalize their release on bond. Appearing in their green jumpsuits, both Emran and Sajad shared smiles with family and friends.
“I cannot express my feelings right now, but I will tell you that everything that we went through, the past years, past 40 days, I somehow still believed in justice, I somehow still believed in law," said Emran's wife.
Waiting for the next steps on the brothers' future has been hard for the whole family.
“This whole time, I believed that Emran was the one who was more patient," his wife shared. "He was strong, and you know, in this past 40 days, a lot changed about him. I learned a lot about him, that he was not as patient as I thought he would be. The younger one was stronger than him.”
ICE detains Afghan brothers during routine check-in with asylum cases pending:
The Kohistani's attorney, Adam Cryak, is no stranger to the courtroom where the brothers appeared.
“This type of case, it’s really kind of the culmination of everything, seeing that they’re going to get out today because they really have good asylum cases. They didn’t do anything. No criminal history, and they fought. They’ve helped so many people," he said.
During Wednesday's bond redetermination hearing, the judge asked the Department of Homeland Security to explain why the brothers were being detained.
“To the government’s credit, [the DHS attorney] didn’t come up with something; he just candidly [said], 'I can’t really go into that judge,'” explained Crayk.
Immigration judges must establish a bond amount of a minimum of $1500 dollars.
The Kohistanis were released on that $1500 bond, thanks to sponsors who helped the family pay.
“I know it was a long run, but I think it was all worth it at the end, and our boys, they’re going to be home soon," said Emran's wife, who is pregnant.
Although they were granted bond in West Valley City, the brothers were then sent back to Rock Springs, Wyoming, where they had been detained. Family members then traveled together in the afternoon to pick them up.
“I have my ultrasound this Friday. I told these people, if my husband is not home, I am not coming. I want him to be there with me, you know?," shared Emran's wife. "So I’m happy I will be able to do that also."
The Kohistani brothers said they didn’t understand why they were detained to begin with because they had followed the correct steps.
“We were taken away from our life, our responsibilities, our families. We lived in fear for two months,” Emran Kohistani said.
Emran and Sajad were both relieved to be back home with their family. They said the ride from Wyoming to Utah made three hours, feel like three days.
“The moment that we got out of the jail, everything was amazing. Like the sun, the wind. I can't explain my emotion like exactly how I was feeling at that time, but it was great,” Emran said.
They said they felt the Judge made sure due process was in place.
Each day they were in detention, they said they believed in justice and were there for each other through the whole process.
