Blerim Skoro, a 55-year-old Kosovan-born man who says he worked with the CIA on counterterrorism efforts against al-Qaeda and ISIS, has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). An ICE spokesperson told Newsweek that he was arrested on August 3 in Newark, New Jersey, and remains “in ICE custody pending removal from the United States.” “I worked for the CIA and did all these things for this nation and now I’m here,” Skoro told British newspaper The Times from an ICE detention facility.
He added that he was detained while renewing his immigration paperwork, “I went to the office for my scheduled appointment, I handed them my work permit and driver’s license and suddenly they were handcuffing me. It makes no sense.” His attorneys argue that he helped American national security interests and that a prior immigration ruling requires a judge's permission ahead of deportation, while immigration authorities say the case stems from longstanding legal issues related to his immigration status. President Donald Trump has pledged to launch the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history.
The administration's enforcement efforts have led to the detention of immigrants across a range of legal statuses, including some valid green card holders and visa holders, prompting legal challenges and criticism from immigration advocates. Newsweek has reported on dozens of cases involving people who were detained after attending appointments at ICE offices, including visits to renew paperwork or complete immigration-related interviews. Administration officials have said the enforcement efforts are necessary to uphold immigration laws, arguing that previous administrations did not enforce them properly.
Newsweek has reached out to Skoro’s legal team for comment via email on Friday. Newsweek filled out a contact request form with the CIA and reached out to the respondent’s legal team via email on Saturday. Skoro was born in the former Yugoslavia and lives in Staten Island, New York, with his American wife, working as a cab driver, per CBS News.
He first came to the U.S. in 1994 claiming asylum after leaving the Yugoslav Army, The Times reported. His ties to the U.S. government date back more than two decades when a legal case led to his cooperation with federal authorities and later work with the CIA. He was arrested in 2000 on federal drug charges.
According to the court docket reviewed by Newsweek, he was ordered detention for violating 21 USC 952, for “knowingly and intentionally” conspiring to import heroin to the United States. The New York Times reported that “he transported at least 14 kilograms of heroin and cocaine and laundered about $670,000 in drug proceeds.” The prosecutors recommended leniency for him and noted that he provided intelligence about the city’s drug traffickers. Court documents from 2002 state that “Skoro began cooperating with the government immediately.
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