Afghan refugees due for deportation to Afghanistan wait outside a registration centre in Landi Kotal, near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Torkham, in April 2025.

US Court Temporarily Blocks Deportation Of Afghan Nationals Over Safety Concerns

05 Nov 2026, 10:12 by Daud Khattak · Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty · Join

A reported plan to deport dozens of Afghan nationals from the United States has been temporarily halted by a New York-based federal judge following a warning from several US lawmakers and rights groups that sending them home or to neighboring Pakistan could put their lives at risk.

US District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Valerie Caproni ruled that any plans to deport Afghan nationals to Afghanistan or Pakistan cannot be carried out until November 7.

Christopher George, the deputy assistant director for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said there were "no planned or confirmed chartered or commercial flights" to carry out such operations this week, though he did not elaborate on possible future plans.

Multiple media reports have quoted sources as saying US authorities are set to deport 150 Afghans through a flight from Louisiana to Pakistan and then onward to Afghanistan.

Because the United States has no formal diplomatic relations with the Taliban, it cannot arrange for the deportation of the detainees to Afghanistan. They will instead be sent to Pakistan, which would then repatriate them.

Pakistan did not respond to multiple requests for comment by e-mail and telephone calls from RFE/RL.

The US State Department did not confirm the deportation of Afghans, with a spokesman adding in a statement to RFE/RL on November 2 that "we affirm our position that all countries must be able to manage their borders and immigration processes in a manner that ensures the safety, security, and prosperity of their citizens."

Afghanistan's Taliban rulers, reacting to the reports, said the US government should "act responsibly."

Asking the United States to respect the "rights and legitimate aspirations" of Afghans facing the deportation, the Taliban-led Foreign Ministry said in a November 2 statement that the Kabul authorities were ready to "engage constructively" with Washington, taking into account the "existing realities and legitimate concerns" of both sides.

The move comes amid a broader push by authorities around the world who have been pushing Afghans who fled their country to return home. In Pakistan alone, more than 2.5 million Afghans have been deported since October 2023, the year when Islamabad announced its deportation policy.

In a November 2 letter addressed to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, the California Democratic Rep. Scott Peters expressed concern about risks, including "persecution, torture, or even death" faced by the Afghans who are reportedly set to be deported.

Signed by 65 other members of the House and Senate, the letter termed the reports about "one of the largest single expulsion of Afghans" ever as "alarming" and urged top officials to cancel "any deportation flights of Afghans or Iranians, either directly or through any other country."

In August, media reports suggested US immigration officials had worked with Iran to deport Iranians in 2025. An earlier report by Reuters, quoting official sources, said the Trump administration planned to deport a number of Iranians and other migrants to the Central African Republic.

Immigrants' rights organizations have also expressed concerns about threats to the lives of those being deported to Afghanistan, saying the immigrants targeted include relatives of people who assisted US forces before the military withdrawal in 2021.

The California-based NGO AfghanEvac had warned the US government was preparing to deport more than 150 Afghans on a charter flight out of Louisiana, reportedly "as soon as November 2."

Shawn VanDiver, president of the organization, said the flight carrying the Afghans -- including two women -- would land in Islamabad, and that he "does not know what agreement has been reached between Washington and Islamabad on the matter."

Refugees International (RI) a US-based humanitarian advocacy organization, asked for a halt to "this and future flights," saying the immigrants face "targeted persecution" from the Taliban.

RI Director Yael Schacher said in a statement on November 1 that although "we lack details about the deal with Pakistan," it is known that the "plane will be landing in a country that has engaged in mass forced expulsions to Afghanistan."

Quoting three US officials, the New York Times had reported on October 30 that the Afghan immigrants are currently being held in Louisiana. The AP also published similar reports, citing what it said were court documents.

In an apparent reference to Pakistan, the Taliban said in its statement that "third countries should not bargain over the fate of another country's nationals in pursuit of temporary and limited concessions or other considerations."

In a sweeping deportation campaign, Pakistan has sent approximately 2.5 million Afghans back to their war-torn country since September 2023.

Tens of thousands of Afghans fled their country following the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August 2021, thousands of whom still reside in Pakistan as they await resettlement in third counties.

While many of them fled Afghanistan fearing retaliatory measures by the Taliban, others escaped to avoid the Taliban's crackdown on civil liberties, including bans on education, music, and freedom of expression. Afghanistan is frequently ranked among the world's worst countries for violations of human rights, and women's rights in particular.

The United Nations has repeatedly warned that the Taliban's ban on girls' education in Afghanistan is creating a "lost generation."

According to the UN figures presented to the Security Council in June, approximately 3.8 million Afghan girls between the ages of 7 and 18 remained out of schools in the country.

US Court Temporarily Blocks Deportation Of Afghan Nationals Over Safety Concerns

US Court Temporarily Blocks Deportation Of Afghan Nationals Over Safety Concerns

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