Trump Administration Plans Mass Deportation of Afghans via Pakistan

The Trump administration plans to deport more than 150 Afghan immigrants from detention facilities in Louisiana to Afghanistan. Because the United States lacks diplomatic relations with the Taliban government, the administration intends to fly the detainees to Pakistan, which will then expel them across the border into Afghanistan.

The first flight is scheduled to depart Alexandria, Louisiana, as early as November 2. The group of detainees includes individuals with criminal records, those who entered the U.S. legally, and those who entered illegally without criminal histories. Some individuals may face persecution or execution under the Taliban, including a gay man and relatives of former Afghan military and police personnel who assisted the U.S. military.

Lawyers for several detainees have filed emergency motions to block the deportations. They cite U.S. law that prohibits sending individuals to countries where they are likely to face persecution. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has declined to comment on the prospective removal operations.