U.S. set to deport Afghan refugees to Pakistan, despite risk they’ll be returned to Taliban

The proposal would remove Afghan detainees from the United States and place them on a U.S. charter flight bound for Pakistan. It could be the first deportation flight of its kind. The plan matters because the people involved may face danger in Pakistan and could later be returned to Afghanistan, the country many fled.

The flight could include people with deportation orders, failed asylum claims, or temporary protected status that the Trump administration ended. At least 80 Afghans were recently transferred to Louisiana from 34 ICE facilities. The Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center may hold hundreds of Afghan detainees awaiting removal.

The administration has not publicly announced the flight. A senior official said Pakistan would need to know about and approve the landing. Pakistan has not responded publicly. Rights advocates say the plan could endanger detainees, while the legality of third-country deportations is scheduled for Supreme Court debate in December.

The proposed passengers are Afghan immigrants and asylum seekers who do not currently have a status the administration recognizes as allowing them to remain. Their cases may involve different immigration outcomes. The article does not provide a complete passenger list or identify each person’s legal case.

A senior administration official said the group could include people with final deportation orders, people whose asylum applications were denied, and people whose temporary protected status was terminated by the Trump administration. Advocates also said relatives of Afghans who supported the U.S. military may be among those facing removal.

At least 80 Afghans were moved to Louisiana from 34 ICE facilities. Nineteen reportedly lacked legal representation. The Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center may contain hundreds of Afghan detainees. DHS declined to confirm removal operations, citing operational security, so the exact passengers remain unknown.

The immediate operation could affect dozens of Afghan immigrants and asylum seekers. Advocates reported that at least 80 Afghans had recently been transferred to Louisiana, and they said hundreds might be held at the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center. The article does not establish how many would board the flight.

The broader population is much larger. The United States admitted tens of thousands of Afghans after the chaotic 2021 withdrawal, in addition to Afghans welcomed over previous decades. Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghan refugees for decades. These figures describe broad populations, not the number facing this specific deportation.

The final scale remains uncertain because the flight was not publicly announced. The administration has not confirmed removal operations, and officials did not provide a passenger count. Advocates’ transfer figures suggest a significant detention effort, but they do not prove that every transferred person will be deported.

Pakistan may send deported Afghans onward because it has recently pressured large numbers of Afghan refugees to leave. The country launched a sweeping crackdown in 2023. It forced some Afghans out and deported others. This history makes Pakistan an unstable destination for people the United States removes there.

The key mechanism is onward removal. A person could leave the United States for Pakistan, then face Pakistani pressure or forced deportation to Afghanistan. The article says this outcome is widely expected if the U.S. sends Afghan detainees to Pakistan. It also says the U.S. would likely know about that risk.

Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghan refugees for decades, but its recent policy has moved in the opposite direction. The proposed U.S. flight therefore may not provide lasting protection. Instead, it could place detainees on a route leading back to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, where advocates fear persecution and imprisonment.

Afghans returned to Afghanistan could face serious personal danger under Taliban rule. The article describes a country battered by humanitarian crises, widespread malnutrition, and conflict with neighboring Pakistan. It also reports a dramatic rollback of women’s rights under the Taliban’s hard-line Islamic policies.

People connected to the United States may face particular suspicion. The article says even Afghans who did not work directly with the U.S. military could be viewed suspiciously because they arrived from the United States. Those who worked with U.S. forces, or are related to such people, could face persecution, imprisonment, or worse.

The risk is especially troubling because many Afghans fled war and political instability. Advocates say the administration may understand that Pakistan could return them to Afghanistan. They also warn that abandoning Afghan allies could discourage people in other countries from cooperating with U.S. forces during future conflicts.

A third-country deportation occurs when the United States removes a person to a country that is not their country of origin. In this case, Afghan detainees would be sent to Pakistan rather than directly to Afghanistan. The approach matters because the person may still face danger after arrival.

The main mechanism is indirect return. Pakistan could pressure or deport the person to Afghanistan, where the Taliban is in power. Immigration lawyers say the administration has used third-country arrangements to avoid international rules against returning asylum seekers to countries they fled. That concern applies even when the first destination is different.

The article says the legality of these arrangements will be debated by the Supreme Court in December. It is unclear whether the United States has a formal agreement with Pakistan. A senior official said Pakistan must know about and approve the flight, while DHS declined to confirm removal operations.

Non-refoulement is the protection principle that prevents a country from sending people to a place where they face persecution, torture, or another serious threat. It matters for asylum seekers because leaving them at risk can defeat the purpose of seeking protection. The article connects this concern to international laws against returning people to countries they fled.

The proposed route shows how the issue can become complicated. The United States could send Afghans to Pakistan rather than directly to Afghanistan. Pakistan might then deport them to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Even if the first flight stops in Pakistan, the eventual result could still be return to the danger the person sought to escape.

The article says immigration lawyers believe third-country deportations may skirt these international protections. It also says the Supreme Court will debate their legality in December. The specific legal status of any U.S.-Pakistan arrangement is unclear, but Pakistan’s approval would be required for the flight to land.