WASHINGTON: The administration of US President Donald Trump plans to deport more than 150 Afghan immigrants to Afghanistan, with the first flight expected as soon as Monday, according to a media report and a US official.
The deportations would be carried out via Pakistan because Washington lacks diplomatic ties with Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities, a US official told Reuters.
Many of those facing removal fled Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in 2021 and the subsequent withdrawal of US forces, said Shawn VanDiver, head of #AfghanEvac, a coalition advocating for Afghans who supported the US mission.
The New York Times reported that the planned deportations could amount to one of the largest single expulsions of Afghans. The administration has detained dozens of Afghan immigrants in Louisiana, the newspaper said.
Afghan advocates raise safety concerns
VanDiver warned that some of those facing deportation had close family ties to Afghans who served alongside US forces.
“Brothers and sons of men who served alongside US forces, families the Taliban already has every reason to target,” he said.
VanDiver urged Congress to pass legislation granting Afghans in the United States temporary protected status, which would shield them from deportation.
The US Department of Homeland Security said it would not confirm future removal operations, citing operational security.
Trump’s deportation drive
Trump has said his administration’s immigration crackdown and deportation drive are aimed at improving domestic security.
Rights advocates, however, say the crackdown violates due process and free speech. They have also raised concerns about racial profiling and what they describe as an unsafe environment for minorities.
The planned deportations come as Pakistan continues its own drive to repatriate undocumented foreign nationals, including Afghans.
Pakistan has expelled more than two million Afghan nationals to Afghanistan since 2023.
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