Afghan interpreter rescued by Marine faces deportation
Marine Major Tom Schueman and former Afghan interpreter Zainullah 'Zak' Zaki discuss the broken immigration system forcing Zaki to face deportation.
An Afghan evacuee's life is on the line after the Biden administration denied his application for a special immigrant visa for the final time, leaving his family to face possible deportation to the Taliban-controlled nation.
"The loss of my whole family and my life [is at stake]," Zainullah "Zak" Zaki said Wednesday on "Fox & Friends First."
Zaki, who sought refuge in the U.S. with his wife and five children, said their deportation would signal certain death at the hands of Taliban members.
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Former Afghan interpreter Zainullah 'Zak' Zaki faces possible deportation after his special immigrant visa was denied. (Fox News)
"The enemy is in control, and they're going to be killing us," he added.
Zaki a former translator credited with saving U.S. Marine Tom Schueman's life on the battlefield several times, was saved by Schueman after Afghanistan descended into chaotic Taliban rule last year.
"He provided the ability to access the communities, the neighborhoods and villages there. To be able to read the cultural terrain there was really important and to understand the nuances of who might be [affiliated with] the Taliban and who might not be…" Schueman told ‘Fox & Friends First.’
Family of Afghan interpreter Zainullah 'Zak' Zaki (Fox News)
"And then there's the literal sense of him saving our lives in the sense that he would monitor the Taliban radio, and he heard them coordinating an ambush. He sprinted through a minefield as he listened to this ambush being coordinated and actually tackled the Taliban commander before they were able to initiate the ambush," Schueman said during the segment.
Schueman added that, during the U.S.'s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, Zaki told him he and his family faced certain death if they were left behind, so he focused on helping his family escape.
"I was hopeless… I hadn't seen a situation like that before in my whole life." Zaki said.
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Zaki told co-host Carley Shimkus his special immigrant visa application was denied because he lacked the necessary documentation for proof of his employment with U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
"The work that I did with the U.S. Marines, I have that as provided, but it was not a sufficient time period. It was for nine months," he said. He added that he lacks sufficient documentation for his other service of two years.
Zaki said he risked his life to work alongside American troops for the sake of his country's future.
