Saudi Asylum Seeker Faces Deportation After 8-Day ICE Detention at Camp Pendleton
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 21
Saudi Asylum Seeker Faces Deportation After 8-Day ICE Detention at Camp Pendleton
1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 21
Summary
53-year-old Assim Alkhawaja now reports to ICE almost weekly under a GPS ankle monitor after agents arrested him in February at Camp Pendleton and placed him in removal proceedings.
8 days in detention followed his arrest while he was dropping off Lyft passengers at the base, even though he had a valid work permit, a pending asylum case and no criminal convictions, according to his lawyer.
Camp Pendleton has worked with ICE on identity screening since at least 2025, and attorneys say similar arrests at the base reflect a broader enforcement push across San Diego.
More than 16,000 people were removed from the San Diego region between January 2025 and April 2026, as ICE raids and check-ins leave asylum seekers in prolonged legal limbo.
October is the next hearing in Alkhawaja’s case, which his lawyer says shows how asylum applicants can still face detention and deportation despite following the process.