U.S. sets flights to send detained Afghans to Pakistan next week

The U.S. government plans to deport Afghan immigrants to Pakistan as early as Monday, according to court documents obtained by The Associated Press. The initial flights will depart from facilities in Louisiana operated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. A senior ICE official confirmed the route in a filing in federal court in Virginia on Friday, stating that detainees would travel to Pakistan with further transport onward to Afghanistan.

The plan relies on using a third country to facilitate removal because the United States lacks formal diplomatic relations with the Taliban government in Afghanistan. This approach mirrors previous administration actions where immigrants were sent to nations other than their homes, sometimes to act as a deterrent. Federal prosecutors in Oklahoma filed a separate document on Monday disclosing that another Afghan immigrant is scheduled for deportation to Afghanistan sometime next week.

Immigrant rights groups warn that this method places individuals at high risk. Shawn VanDiver, president of the advocacy group #AfghanEvac, described the plan as unconscionable. He noted that many of those detained fled persecution after supporting the U.S. military and aid groups in Afghanistan. VanDiver, a U.S. Navy veteran, said the administration shows a willingness to break the law and violate human rights.

Savitri Arvey, director of policy at Human Rights First, called the move egregious. Her organization confirmed a scheduled flight from Louisiana to Pakistan on Tuesday carrying Afghan immigrants. Arvey compared the action to previous deportations of Iranian and Russian dissidents via Qatar, Kuwait, and Egypt. She noted that the administration has previously removed people through intermediaries when direct flights were unavailable or politically difficult.

The Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on the specific operations, citing operational security and personnel safety in an email to the AP on Saturday. Officials at the Pakistan embassy in Washington did not immediately return email messages seeking clarification on the arrangement.

Democratic lawmakers criticized the strategy on social media after the New York Times reported the details on Friday. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire called the plan reprehensible, specifically noting the risk to women and children who supported U.S. forces. Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut argued the administration is betraying a promise made to Afghan allies, stating they are being sent to potential torture and death.

In September, the administration extended the life of Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar for nine months to house more than 1,000 Afghans who assisted in the war effort. This reprieve came after the camp was scheduled to close on Sept. 30. The current deportations follow a pause in the Afghan resettlement program that began with the start of Trump's second term, which has left thousands of vetted refugees stranded overseas.