Deportation Of Afghan Man Who Helped US Military Blocked

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A federal appeals court has temporarily blocked the deportation of an Afghan man trying to enter the United States on a special visa for people who helped the U.S. military.

A judge on the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia late Wednesday blocked a New Jersey federal judge's decision to allow the deportation.

Judge Jose Linares in Newark had ruled the man was unlikely to succeed in the case against the government because the visa was already revoked.

Government lawyers say the man voluntarily withdrew his application for admission to the country in an interview with a Customs and Border Protection officer after arriving at Newark's Liberty International Airport.

The man's lawyers argue the application withdrawal was involuntary and he was held without a lawyer for 36 hours.

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