U.S. Plans Afghan Deportations Through Pakistan

The Trump administration is preparing to deport Afghan nationals from the United States by sending them first to Pakistan, with plans for onward travel to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. One account described at least 150 people facing removal within 48 hours; an American government representative informed CBS News that the plans involved nearly 200 and remained unsettled.

Afghan Deportation Plan Risks Sending U.S. Allies’ Families to Taliban

The Trump administration is preparing to send Afghans in immigration custody to Pakistan, with onward transport to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. The plans put people with ties to the U.S. war effort—and kin of people who served with the United States—at risk of Taliban retaliation, advocates warn. One account said at least 150 faced removal within 48 hours; a U.S. official described plans involving nearly 200, still in flux.

A court declaration said a charter flight scheduled for November 3 was due to touch down in Pakistan before an Afghan citizen was taken onward by land. The official who filed it said the flight’s destination had changed from what he initially understood. The attorney for two men facing deportation said they had been told they would travel through Pakistan, without being told who would take them overland or how.

One man was taken off the passenger roster and freed from ICE detention after a judge found his continued detention violated due process. His attorney’s other client was awaiting a decision on an emergency request to block removal. DHS defended its broader approach, saying people sent to third countries receive notice and assurances, but did not say whether Pakistan had given assurances for this operation or whether they covered the journey into Afghanistan.

Advocates say the route does not remove the danger; it risks handing vulnerable Afghans to a government that may send them into Taliban control. The Taliban’s foreign ministry also called for coordination and respect for Afghans’ rights. Sixty-six members of Congress called on the secretaries of state and homeland security to cancel deportation flights involving Afghans and Iranians.

Court Challenges and Uncertainty Cloud Afghan Removal Plan

The Trump administration’s effort to remove Afghans in ICE custody is facing court challenges and questions about how the deportations would work. The plan is to send people to Pakistan before onward travel to Afghanistan, but a U.S. official said it was still in flux. Estimates in accounts of the plan ranged from at least 150 people to nearly 200.

A sworn declaration said a charter scheduled for November 3 would first land in Pakistan, with an Afghan national then transported by land. The officer who filed the declaration said he initially understood the flight would land in Afghanistan. An attorney for two men facing removal said both had been told they would go to Pakistan before being taken overland, but were not told who would transport them or how.

A judge ordered officials to clarify the flight’s route in a case involving one of the men. That man was later struck from the passenger roster and freed from ICE detention after a court determined his ongoing confinement breached due process. His attorney’s second client was awaiting a ruling on an emergency motion to block deportation. DHS said people removed to third countries receive notice and assurances that they will be safe, while declining to say whether Pakistan had provided assurances for this operation or its onward leg.

The administration’s position is that third-country removals come with assurances; critics argue the route could expose Afghans with U.S. connections to Taliban persecution. The Taliban-led foreign ministry called for coordination and respect for Afghans’ rights. Sixty-six members of Congress urged the secretaries of state and homeland security to cancel deportation flights involving Afghans and Iranians.