A week ago, Sayed Naser was a detainee at the Otay Mesa Detention Center awaiting a judge's ruling on his habeas corpus petition.
On Thursday, he's laughing with his friends, family and supporters at a Lakeside Afghan restaurant.
"Freedom is the most beautiful (feeling)," Naser said.
Naser fled Afghanistan, making his way to Brazil, then north through South and Central America before arriving at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in July of last year. He was admitted into the U.S. via the now-defunct CBP One app and granted humanitarian parole, granting him legal status to live and work in the U.S. while his asylum claim worked its way through the system.
But in June, he was ordered to appear at immigration court in San Diego. In court, the government moved to drop his case and place him in the expedited removal process — a pathway used to deport immigrants quickly.
When Naser left the courtroom, masked ICE agents were waiting. They placed him in handcuffs and took him into custody.
"I worked with the U.S. military back in my home country of Afghanistan," Naser tells the agents to no effect.
Documents provided to KPBS support his claims — Naser and his brothers ran a business that contracted with the U.S. Before that, he served as an interpreter.
Gonzalo Curiel, a federal district judge in San Diego, ordered Naser released from custody Sept. 26, saying the government violated his due process rights.
In a 26-page ruling released Wednesday, Curiel explains one way the government violated those rights was when it revoked his parole without notifying him.
He also couldn't be detained and placed in expedited removal proceedings because he had a pending immigration case, Curiel wrote in his ruling.
Video of his arrest went viral.
Two veteran-run nonprofits, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and AfghanEvac, launched "Battle Buddies," after Naser's arrest. The program enlists military veterans to volunteer to attend immigration hearings with Afghans who worked with the U.S. government during the 20-year occupation.
Shawn VanDiver, president and co-founder of AfghanEvac, said there's been a huge response among veterans.
"It's grown to over 1,000 veterans across the country," VanDiver said.
Naser said he hasn't lost faith or given up on America.
"I feel hopeful because of how many Americans stood up for me when I was arrested," Naser said. "It means a lot to me. That's why America is a great country."
Naser lost his job when he was detained, so he said he's got to start looking for another one. He's also looking for a new place to live in San Diego while he awaits a hearing on his asylum case.
Once granted asylum, Naser said he plans to become a U.S. citizen.
"I still believe in America," he said.
