US plans to send Afghan immigrants home via Pakistan
The Trump administration plans to deport more than 150 Afghan immigrants to Afghanistan, a US official and a coalition of veterans and advocacy groups say. Dozens have been detained in Louisiana, and the first deportation flight could leave as early as Monday, 2 Nov, according to The New York Times. Because Washington has no diplomatic ties with the Taliban, the flights would be routed through Pakistan, which would oversee the expulsions. Pakistan has already expelled more than two million Afghan nationals since 2023, according to Reuters. The Department of Homeland Security declined to confirm operational details.
Key facts
- Many facing removal fled Afghanistan after the 2021 Taliban takeover and US withdrawal, per Shawn VanDiver of #AfghanEvac.
- Some of those facing removal are relatives of Afghans who worked with the US military in the 20-year war.
- The Supreme Court is set to hear debate on third-country deportation agreements in December.
- Advocacy groups say the deportations could endanger the lives of those sent back.
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Why it matters
Third-country deportation to Afghanistan raises legal and safety questions that a pending Supreme Court case may address.
What changed
First published from The Independent, NBC News, The Straits Times, Al-Monitor and The Jerusalem Post