A 35-year-old former U.S. Army sergeant, Bajun “Baji” Mavalwalla II, faces up to six years in prison for protesting against ICE deportations in what legal experts are calling a test case for the Trump administration’s attempts to criminalize and punish dissent. Mavalwalla was arrested and charged with “conspiracy to impede or injure officers” after he was identified in a video taken at the protest and shared on Instagram. Mavalwalla, who survived a roadside bomb blast while serving in Afghanistan, was also injured by a rubber bullet at the protest. “This whole event has been staged by the Trump administration,” says Mavalwalla’s father, Bajun Ray Mavalwalla, who witnessed and filmed his son’s arrest at their home in Spokane, Washington. “It’s unconscionable.” We speak to the elder Mavalwalla, also a U.S. Army veteran who served in Afghanistan and as part of the National Guard, and to journalist Aaron Glantz, who has been reporting on this story for The Guardian.
This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Democracy Now! | Radio Free (2025-09-03T12:48:58+00:00) Army Vet Charged with “Conspiracy” for ICE Protest as Trump Expands War on Dissent. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2025/09/03/army-vet-charged-with-conspiracy-for-ice-protest-as-trump-expands-war-on-dissent/
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