U.S. prepares first deportation flight sending dozens of Afghans to Pakistan

The Trump administration is preparing to deport dozens of Afghan immigrants and asylum seekers to Pakistan on a first-of-its-kind flight, despite warnings they could be sent back to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.

The Trump administration is preparing to deport dozens of Afghan immigrants and asylum seekers to Pakistan in the first flight of its kind, a senior administration official told NBC News. Advocates and detainees’ families said the flight could take place as early as Monday.

Those facing removal include relatives of Afghans who worked alongside the U.S. military, according to advocates. The official said the group could include people with final deportation orders, people denied asylum and people whose temporary protected status was terminated. Many crossed from Mexico to seek asylum, and some cases are still pending.

AfghanEvac, a San Diego-based advocacy group, said at least 80 Afghans were recently moved to Louisiana from 34 ICE facilities, 19 of them without legal representation. The group’s Shawn VanDiver warned that Afghans sent to Pakistan could be returned to Afghanistan, where the Taliban would view them with suspicion and they could face persecution or imprisonment.

ICE officers escort a detainee to a removal charter flight (file photo)

The official said the administration does not consider that risk its concern, describing the Afghans as people without legal status in the United States. DHS declined to confirm removal operations, citing operational security, and the State Department said it had no plans to announce the flight. It is unclear what arrangement exists with Pakistan, whose government did not respond to requests for comment.

Trump halted refugee admissions for Afghans when he returned to office. The flight comes nearly a year after a shooting in Washington that killed a National Guard member; the suspect was an Afghan national who had been granted asylum. The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on third-country deportation agreements in December.

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