ICE Deports Ethiopian Linked to Fano Militia Over Tier III Terrorist Designation

U.S. authorities have deported an Ethiopian national after immigration investigators determined that his online activity and affiliations made him ineligible for immigration benefits.

Solomon Bogale was deported to Ethiopia on March 5 after officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Phoenix concluded he was linked to the Ethiopian paramilitary movement Fano and had posted messages calling for violence against Tigrayans.

ICE said the deportation followed an investigation that uncovered multiple social media accounts in which Bogale identified himself as a member of the group and promoted rhetoric advocating ethnic persecution.

According to ICE, Bogale’s online posts included statements calling for the “cleansing” of Tigrayans from Ethiopia and advocating violence during periods of conflict in northern Ethiopia. Authorities said these findings led immigration officials to deny him immigration benefits and initiate removal proceedings.

The case was handled by the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center, a unit led by ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) that focuses on identifying individuals linked to atrocities abroad. ICE said the center has deported 1,178 known or suspected human rights violators and war criminals since 2003.

Officials emphasized that U.S. immigration law contains strict restrictions related to terrorism-related inadmissibility, meaning individuals can be denied immigration status for advocacy, affiliation, or material support linked to designated extremist activity, even without direct involvement in violence.

The deportation has triggered polarized reactions across diaspora communities and online platforms, with analysts pointing to the significance of the Tier III terrorist classification referenced in the immigration case. In U.S. immigration law, the designation can apply to groups considered to have engaged in terrorist activity even if they are not formally listed as a terrorist organization under U.S. foreign policy sanctions frameworks.

Bogale has publicly denied involvement in violent activity in interviews, saying he was present in Ethiopia during the war but did not participate in military operations outside his region and claimed accusations against him were politically motivated.

The case emerges against the backdrop of Ethiopia’s recent conflicts, including the Tigray war that erupted in 2020 and subsequent violence involving Amhara rebel militia and federal authorities. Although the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement signed in 2022 formally ended the war between the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan forces, tensions and armed clashes have persisted in parts of northern Ethiopia.

Human rights organizations including Human Rights Watch, United Nations investigators, and the U.S. State Department have documented allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the conflict, involving multiple actors.