US to deport 150 Afghan immigrants back to Afghanistan via Pakistan

More than 150 Afghan immigrants may be deported back to Afghanistan through Pakistan under President Donald Trump’s administration, US media reported, a decision advocacy groups believe could put their lives at risk.

Trump extended travel bans for a number of nations including Afghanistan last year as part of a sweeping immigration crackdown and attempted to terminate deportation protections for Afghans, some of whom were granted special immigrant visas after the August 2021 takeover by Taliban authorities.

The New York Times, citing three unidentified US officials, said that more than 150 Afghan immigrants are expected to be deported in the next push, with the first flight possibly taking off as early as Monday.

We’re talking about relatives of Afghans who helped the US forces in the country before the fall of Kabul’, said AfghanEvac, a group trying to help former Afghan allies.

Officials informed the Times that although the United States cannot arrange deportations directly to Afghanistan, Pakistan will manage their expulsion to Afghanistan.

Earlier this year, Pakistan’s government instructed law enforcement agencies nationwide to arrest Afghan people without visas, a move that is part of a years-long repatriation campaign that has driven back millions of Afghans who fled their homes after the Taliban returned to power.