For Afghan immigrants held in Louisiana, removal through Pakistan could end in Afghanistan, where rights organisations warn of Taliban retaliation and the United Nations has recorded reports of extrajudicial killings, detentions and abuses by Taliban authorities.
The Trump administration says its immigration crackdown and deportation drive are intended to improve domestic security. It plans to deport over 150 Afghan immigrants in what would be one of the largest single expulsions of Afghans.
Dozens of Afghan immigrants are being held in Louisiana detention and processing facilities run by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. The plan was announced on Friday, and flights from Louisiana could leave as soon as Monday.
Many of those now facing removal fled Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover and US withdrawal in 2021. Thousands fled persecution and feared for their lives after helping the US military and aid groups in Afghanistan.
Relatives of Afghans who assisted the US military before the fall of Kabul are among those expected to be deported.
Shawn VanDiver, a US Navy veteran and president of the advocacy group #AfghanEvac, said some were 'brothers and sons of men who served alongside US forces, families the Taliban already has every reason to target'.
Taliban authorities announced a general amnesty after regaining power for Afghans who had worked with Western-backed forces and governments. VanDiver nevertheless described the deportation plan as 'absolutely unconscionable', accusing the administration of acting 'the week the country goes to vote, hoping no one is watching', and saying there was 'no end to their willingness to break the law and violate people's human rights.'
The proposed route reflects Washington’s lack of diplomatic ties with the Taliban. The deportees would travel through Pakistan, which would oversee their expulsion into Afghanistan.
Pakistan has expelled over 2 million Afghan nationals to Afghanistan since 2023. Its government has ordered law enforcement agencies across the country to arrest Afghan citizens without visas under a years-long repatriation policy that has pushed back millions of people who fled after the Taliban returned to power.
The route also runs through a fraught relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Deadly border clashes last October led to a near-total closure of the border, and the conflict intensified in February when Pakistan declared an open war on its neighbour.
Trump previously sought to end deportation protections for Afghans, some of whom received special immigrant visas after the Taliban authorities took over in August 2021. Rights advocates say the wider crackdown violates due process and free speech, and has made minorities feel unsafe amid concerns over racial profiling.
The Homeland Security Department said it would not confirm future removal operations, citing operational security and personnel safety. VanDiver urged Congress to pass legislation granting Afghans in the US temporary protected status, which would shield them from deportation.
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