US plans to deport Afghans to Pakistan, raising safety concerns

Those targeted are currently in ICE custody, facing immigration law violations. Advocates for Afghan communities are expressing alarm, fearing that individuals with ties to the U.S. war effort could face persecution by the Taliban.

Due to the absence of a U.S. embassy in Kabul since 2021 and the lack of formal diplomatic relations with the current Taliban government, direct deportations to Afghanistan are complicated. A sworn declaration by Sergio Aguilar, a supervisory detention and deportation officer at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, revealed that a planned deportation flight initially slated for November 3rd would first land in Pakistan before transporting individuals onward to Afghanistan. Aguilar stated, “The plane’s final destination would be Pakistan with further transport onward to Afghanistan.”

Said Mansor Sadat, a 30-year-old Afghan national, was initially on the flight manifest but was subsequently removed and released from ICE custody following a court order. His attorney, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, stated that Sadat and another client were informed they would be transported to Pakistan before continuing overland to Afghanistan.

Questions have arisen regarding whether Pakistani authorities have agreed to receive the deportees and who will oversee their transportation within Afghanistan. Many Afghans recently arrived in the U.S. after the 2021 fall of Kabul, some entering through Latin America and the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) declined to comment on the planned removal flights, citing security concerns, and defended its third-country removal practices. A DHS spokesperson stated, “Illegal aliens being sent to a third country receive notice and assurances prior to their removal,” adding that ICE receives assurances of safety from destination countries. However, the department did not confirm if Pakistan had provided such assurances for this specific operation.

The Taliban’s Foreign Ministry expressed concern, urging coordination and respect for the rights and dignity of Afghan citizens. Shawn VanDiver, a U.S. Navy veteran and founder of #AfghanEvac, criticized the plan as “abandonment with a boarding pass.”

Sixty-six members of Congress have called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to cancel the deportation flights. Similar legal challenges have been filed in Texas and Louisiana. Basir Ahmad Ahmadi, detained in El Paso, was initially nominated for a removal mission, while Khaled Khaleeq sought emergency intervention after learning of potential deportation to Pakistan or Afghanistan.