LOWELL — When Ihsanullah Garay, 38, came to the U.S. from Afghanistan in the spring of 2021, he brought with him dreams of obtaining his doctorate in finance.
Those dreams carried him to a university in New York City, his cousin, Abdul Ahad Storay, told The Sun. In the months following Garay’s arrival in the U.S., American troops in his home country would withdraw from the nearly two-decade-long war there and the oppressive Taliban regime would swiftly retake control.
In the months that followed that, Garay would be diagnosed with a brain tumor, for which his doctors wanted urgent surgery.
“I was there for his surgery. He needed chemotherapy, radiation and the doctors said he needed somebody to take care of him,” said Storay, who owns Lowell Computer on Central Street.
Storay brought his cousin to live with him in Lowell while Garay underwent daily chemotherapy at Lowell General Hospital. Garay would eventually move back to New York, but after about six months, Storay said his cousin returned to Lowell because he felt he still couldn’t survive on his own. Garay got his own place this time, and worked by delivering food through apps like DoorDash and Grubhub to support himself.
On Sept. 14, Garay was in the middle of delivering an order in Methuen when he got lost and had to ask for directions, Storay said, so he asked a man sitting in a car.
“The guy asked him to show his documents, and when [Garay] argued, he said he was an [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] agent,” said Storay.
Storay said his cousin was in the U.S. legally, has work permits, a driver’s license and had applied for asylum. He fears that Garay will be returned to Afghanistan, where there is a written threat against him by the Taliban due to him having been an employee of the U.S.-backed government as a risk manager for a bank in the country.
In a statement to The Sun on Saturday, ICE Boston spokesperson James Covington called Garay “an illegal alien from Afghanistan” and confirmed his Sept. 14 arrest in Methuen.
“Garay lawfully entered the United States April 30, 2021 with permission to remain until September 7, 2021; however, he violated the terms of his lawful admission when he refused to leave the country. Garay will remain in ICE custody pending the outcome of his removal proceedings,” said Covington. “Under the leadership of President Trump and [Homeland Security] Secretary [Kristi] Noem, aliens residing in the United States unlawfully will be arrested and removed. ICE encourages aliens to self-deport using the [Customs and Border Protection] Home application.”
Storay said his cousin had likely been brought to the ICE field office in Burlington before being sent to a facility in Rhode Island, where an immigration law firm had been representing him pro bono. Just a few hours after ICE sent its statement to The Sun, Storay said he learned his cousin was moved to a facility in Florida that same day.
Storay also showed The Sun Garay’s current work authorization card, which was issued in November 2024 and remains valid until 2029. While in custody, Storay said Garay is missing critical scans and appointments with his oncologist as he continues his fight with brain cancer.
Storay is also from Afghanistan, but he arrived in the U.S. in 2017 and got his citizenship about a year and a half ago. While some in the Greater Lowell area from Afghanistan “are afraid to come out of [their] homes” amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, Storay said any worries he has about retaliation for speaking up are outweighed by his concern for his cousin.
“It’s for him. I did not feel any worry. I had to do something for him,” said Storay.
Garay was scheduled to appear in the Chelmsford Immigration Court on Oct. 16, Storay said, so when an immigration officer called him from the airport as they brought Garay to Florida, Storay questioned the timing.
“They said it was because he needed medical facilities there,” said Storay, questioning why they didn’t just bring him to a hospital in Boston.
“When you talk to him, you will feel he is dying at any time,” Storay later said of his cousin. “I don’t know how they don’t see that.”
Storay said Monday afternoon he has not heard from his cousin since that phone call on Saturday.
Peter Currier
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