The Trump administration is preparing to deport a group of Afghan immigrants back to Afghanistan, according to a US official and advocacy groups. Many of those facing removal fled their homeland following the 2021 Taliban takeover and the chaotic US military withdrawal.
The planned expulsion affects over 150 Afghan nationals the largest single deportations of Afghans from the United States. Reports indicate that dozens of individuals have already been detained in Louisiana with the initial deportation flight scheduled to depart as early as Monday.
Because Washington lacks formal diplomatic relations with the ruling Taliban as direct flights to Kabul are not possible. Instead, the US government plans to route the deportations through neighboring Pakistan a nation that has already expelled more than two million undocumented Afghans since 2023.
Human rights advocates and veterans' organizations have expressed severe concern over the move. Shawn VanDiver, head of the advocacy coalition #AfghanEvac highlighted that several individuals targeted for removal are close relatives of personnel who served alongside American forces. Returning them to Afghanistan places them at direct risk of violent retaliation from the Taliban regime.
While the administration maintains that its strict immigration enforcement aims to enhance domestic security and civil rights groups argue that the rapid sweeps bypass due process, encourage racial profiling and endanger vulnerable refugees.
In response, rights organizations and veterans' representatives are urging the US Congress to step in and pass legislation granting temporary protected status to Afghan evacuees. Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on the logistics, citing operational security protocols.
