Unvetted ‘pedophile’ caught in Florida after gaining asylum, officials say

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An Afghan man who was given asylum in the U.S. was again taken into custody this month after being convicted back in 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

In a release last week, federal officials announced that the man — identified as Basir Ahmad Safi, 44 — had been granted asylum in 2021 during Operation Allies Welcome, which aimed to help safely resettle vulnerable Afghans who worked alongside U.S. forces in the region.

However, Safi was arrested in September 2023 by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office on charges of lewd/lascivious exhibition, soliciting a child via computer, unlawful use of a two-way communications device, and child abuse.

Court records show that Safi was accused of dropping his pants in front of an underage girl and texting her to “have sex with him or he was going to tell everyone she was a bad person.”

Detectives said they found text messages sent to the girl in the Dari language that were translated as follows:

1st message - “Even if you complain to your parents about me, I will still force you to have sex with me.”

2nd message - “Why are you not answering me.”

3rd message - “If you don’t agree to what I asked you, I will tell your family that you’re a bad girl.”

4th message - “I want to have sex with you.”

5th message - “Even if you complain to anyone, I will still force you to do what I want you to do.”

6th message - “I am free to tell anyone I like.”

Court records also reveal that Safi pleaded guilty to child abuse in 2024 and was sentenced to 353 days in county jail, followed by a 19-month probation period.

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“This unvetted Afghan pedophile was let into our country by the Biden administration,” Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said. “He should NEVER have been allowed into our country or given the opportunity to prey on innocent children.”

According to the DHS, Safi was again arrested on March 11 as part of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations Jacksonville and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

At the time, his status had been revoked, meaning he was unlawfully living in the country, investigators noted. The DHS said that he will be held in ICE custody pending removal.

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In response to the news, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier brought up his perspective on immigration policy.

“This serves as a painful reminder that just because some immigration might be ‘legal,’ that still doesn’t make it good for the country,’” he wrote on X.

In the meantime, you can read the full arrest report below.