The Trump administration plans to deport more than 150 Afghan immigrants back to Afghanistan via Pakistan, US media reported on Friday (October 30), according to AFP. Advocacy groups say the move could put the lives of those removed at risk. The New York Times, citing three unnamed US officials, reported that the first flight could leave as soon as Monday.
Background
AFP noted that President Donald Trump issued travel bans last year for several countries, including Afghanistan, as part of a broad immigration crackdown, and sought to end deportation protections for Afghans. Some of those Afghans had been granted special immigrant visas after the Taliban takeover in August 2021. Among those expected to be deported, according to the group AfghanEvac, are relatives of Afghans who helped the US military before the fall of Kabul.
Why Pakistan is involved
The United States cannot arrange deportations directly to Afghanistan, so officials told the Times that Pakistan will oversee the expulsions. Pakistan's government ordered law enforcement earlier this year to arrest Afghans without visas as part of a long-running repatriation policy that has pushed back millions of Afghans. Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been tense since 2021 and worsened after deadly border clashes last October, with conflict intensifying again in February when Pakistan declared an open war on its neighbour. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harbouring militants, which the Taliban government denies.
Reactions
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to comment on Saturday at a G20 foreign ministers' gathering in Atlanta, directing questions to the Department of Homeland Security, which did not respond to AFP. AfghanEvac president Shawn VanDiver criticised the timing, which comes during the week of the US midterm elections, and said some of those facing removal are family members of men who served alongside US forces. The Taliban announced a general amnesty for those who worked with Western-backed governments after returning to power, but the United Nations has recorded reports of extrajudicial killings, detentions and abuses.
This is a developing story, and the reported plans have not been confirmed by US authorities in the article cited.
Source: The Star (AFP) - US to deport 150 Afghan immigrants back to Afghanistan via Pakistan
