WASHINGTON: The Trump administration intends to deport over 150 Afghan immigrants to Afghanistan via Pakistan, according to U.S. media reports on Friday; advocacy groups warn this could jeopardize their safety.
Last year, President Trump imposed travel bans on several nations, including Afghanistan, as part of a sweeping immigration crackdown, and moved to terminate deportation protections for Afghans—some of whom had received special immigrant visas after the August 2021 Taliban takeover.
More than 150 Afghan immigrants are expected to be deported in this latest wave, the New York Times reported, citing three unnamed U.S. officials, with the initial flight potentially departing as early as Monday.
The group AfghanEvac notes that among those slated for deportation are relatives of Afghans who previously supported U.S. military operations before the fall of Kabul.
Although the United States cannot arrange direct deportations to Afghanistan, officials told the Times that Pakistan will manage their expulsion to Afghanistan.
Earlier this year, Pakistan’s government mandated nationwide law‑enforcement actions to detain Afghan citizens lacking visas, continuing a multi‑year repatriation policy that has delayed millions of Afghans who fled after the Taliban regained control.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been strained since the Taliban assumed power in 2021, and deteriorated further following deadly border clashes in October that caused near‑total border closure.
After a period of de‑escalation mediated by third parties, fighting flared again in February, prompting Pakistan to declare an “open war” against its neighbor.
Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of sheltering militants responsible for lethal attacks on Pakistani soil, a claim the Afghan Taliban government denies.
Taliban officials were not immediately available for comment, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security declined to answer questions from AFP.
“America is about to place Afghans on a plane to the Taliban, and the administration is timing this amid the week of the U.S. midterm elections, hoping the action goes unnoticed,” AfghanEvac President Shawn VanDiver said in a statement, referencing the Tuesday elections.
VanDiver added that many of the migrants facing removal “are the brothers and sons of men who fought alongside U.S. forces, families the Taliban already has strong reasons to target.”
“Regardless of how they arrived here, the peril they will face remains unchanged.”
Following its takeover, the Taliban announced a general amnesty for Afghans who had worked with Western‑backed forces and governments.
Nevertheless, the United Nations has documented reports of extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, and other abuses.
