CIA Informant Faces Deportation Despite Years of Service
The Trump administration is working to deport Blerim Skoro, a self-described former CIA spy. Skoro helped authorities convict terrorists and initially secured permission to remain in the U.S. Due to these contributions, his lawyers filed in federal court to stop his deportation.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Skoro, a father from Kosovo, outside a New Jersey immigration office. He was there to renew his paperwork. Previously, in 2022, he was granted deferral of removal because deportation posed a risk of capture and torture by terrorists.
“I never thought they were going to betray me like this,” Skoro told CBS News.
Skoro’s involvement with U.S. intelligence started following a 2000 drug trafficking conviction. Documents indicate he became an informant while jailed, providing intelligence on terrorists connected to al Qaeda, al Shabaab, and Hezbollah.
In 2004, heavily redacted FBI records listed him as an informant during an investigation of Osama bin Laden. Despite providing “actionable” intelligence, he was deported to Kosovo in 2007 but claims he was tasked by the CIA to infiltrate terrorist organizations from abroad.
From 2007 to 2009, Skoro allegedly worked covertly within al Qaeda, traveling to locations including an ISIS camp in Syria. His undercover efforts led to the arrest of Brooklyn terrorist Betim Kaziu. Emails shared with CBS News showcased Skoro’s communication with a CIA handler about these activities.
His lawyer argues that Skoro led a “law-abiding, productive life” with his family in the U.S. post returning in 2014. However, an arrest by NYPD for a minor violation in 2016 initiated his lengthy immigration battle.
Though a judge previously blocked Skoro’s deportation due to Convention Against Torture protections, his residency status remains uncertain. His past work with U.S. agencies, including the CIA and FBI, did not secure his legal status permanently.
Following his August arrest, Skoro’s legal team filed a habeas corpus petition, emphasizing that ICE acted without judicial consent, breaching prior court protections.
ICE and U.S. intelligence agencies have not commented on the case, but his supporters argue against his deportation due to his contributions during the war on terror.