An Ethiopian opposition movement, the Amhara Fano National Movement (AFNM), has asked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to clarify a recent public reference to Fano as a “Tier III terrorist group,” saying the phrase could be misunderstood outside U.S. immigration-law context. The letter, dated March 16, 2026 and addressed to Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, follows an ICE post about the deportation of Ethiopian national Solomon Bogale. ICE said Bogale was removed to Ethiopia and described him as affiliated with Fano, while also saying Fano has been designated as a terrorist group by the Ethiopian government.
In the letter, AFNM chairman Zemene Kassie argues that “Tier III” is generally understood as an immigration-law concept used in individual case assessments, not a formal U.S. government designation applied to organizations in the same way as State Department Foreign Terrorist Organizations or other listed entities. U.S. immigration guidance describes terrorism-related inadmissibility grounds in the immigration context, and legal advocacy sources note that there is no publicly maintained U.S. list of so-called Tier III organizations.
AFNM said the wording has generated confusion among Ethiopians, members of the Ethiopian American community, and others familiar with U.S. immigration law. The group asked ICE to clarify the terminology used in the post and said it was seeking a more precise explanation of the legal framework behind the reference.
The dispute comes amid ongoing scrutiny of Fano, an armed Amhara movement that has been involved in Ethiopia’s internal conflict. ICE’s public account of Bogale’s removal placed Fano in the center of the agency’s enforcement action, while AFNM is now pressing U.S. officials to be careful about how the group is described in public communications.
