When Afghan journalist Abdul appeared in a San Diego court to plead for asylum, he wasn’t alone. Ten US military veterans lined the hallway, showing solidarity with the man who says he was tortured by the Taliban for supporting American ideals, BBC reported.

The veterans are part of Battle Buddies, a group formed to protect Afghan allies from deportation. Nearly 200,000 Afghans came to the US after Kabul’s fall in 2021, but the Trump administration has since ended protections like Temporary Protected Status, leaving many at risk of removal.

According to BBC, veterans warn that abandoning Afghan partners—interpreters, journalists, and aid workers who aided US missions—would be both immoral and damaging to national security. “They put themselves at risk for us,” said Army veteran Monique Labarre.

For Abdul, the support offered a rare comfort. “In Afghanistan, we were scared of the Taliban,” he said. “Here, we fear ICE detention.”