Afghanistan war vet arrested and charged for protesting ICE

The arrest of an Indian American Afghanistan war veteran on federal conspiracy charges for participating in an anti-ICE protest in Spokane, Washington state, has ignited fears of escalating attacks on First Amendment rights under the Trump administration.

Catch up: FBI agents arrested Bajun Mavalwalla II, 35, at his Spokane home on July 15 after he had participated in a local protest against the agency on June 11. Reports say the demonstration erupted after former Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart urged people to block an ICE transport carrying detained asylum seekers. The indictment filed July 9 targets Mavalwalla and eight others with conspiracy to impede or injure officers, an offense that carries a maximum sentence of six years in prison, $250,000 in fines and three years of supervised release.

Attack on free speech: The charges have drawn sharp criticism from Democratic leaders who view them as government overreach. Sen. Patty Murray, for one, called the charges “a gross abuse of federal resources” and accused the Trump administration of “abusing the force of the law to intimidate Americans exercising their First Amendment rights.”

Meanwhile, Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown condemned the arrests as “a politically motivated action” and “a perversion of our justice system,” arguing that the administration’s actions are “trampling on the U.S. Constitution and creating widespread fear across our community.” The case has also prompted local officials to rally behind the defendants, with City Councilmember Paul Dillon calling the arrests “another reminder of the pain, fear and chaos by the Trump Administration” and vowing to advocate for dropped charges.

Broader implications: Former Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Luis Miranda described Mavalwalla as “a test case” of the administration’s prosecutorial limits. At present, demonstrators are not only charged with direct crimes like assault, but also broader conspiracy allegations that require proving intent rather than specific actions.

Mavalwalla has family connections to Mahatma Gandhi’s independence movement through his great-great grand-uncle Parsee Rustomjee. His father, a decorated army intelligence officer, also suspects racial profiling influenced his son’s arrest.

Mavalwalla’s trial is set for Sept. 22.