Patriots: Conspiracy, Courage, and the Fight for American Democracy

He served his country honorably in Afghanistan and helped dozens of Afghan refugees make their way to the United States after Kabul’s fall to the Taliban in 2021.

Now Bajun Mavalwalla II faces six years in prison on federal conspiracy charges for his part in a June 2025 protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Legal experts say the case represents a major escalation in the Trump administration’s attack on First Amendment rights.

In this investigative series published by The Guardian and broadcast on PBS NewsHour, Pulitzer Center grantee Aaron Glantz chronicles the story of a military veteran ready to face justice to serve the same values he joined the military to protect—along with the federal prosecutor who resigned rather than sign his indictment.

The series also follows the veteran’s father, Bajun Ray Mavalwalla, a retired U.S. Army intelligence officer with three Bronze Stars earned in Iraq and Afghanistan. After his son’s arrest, the elder Mavalwalla decided to challenge Spokane, Washington’s incumbent Republican congressman on a platform of patriotic dissent.

This project is about patriotism and the fight for American democracy during the second Trump administration.