Afghan immigrants face deportation from US under new Trump administration push

The Trump administration is preparing to deport a group of Afghan nationals back to Afghanistan, according to an American official and a coalition representing veterans and refugee advocates.

More than 150 Afghan immigrants are anticipated to be removed in what would be one of the largest group expulsions of Afghans to date, the New York Times reported. Authorities have detained dozens of individuals in Louisiana ahead of the planned operations, with the initial flight potentially departing as early as Monday.

Because the United States maintains no formal diplomatic relations with the Taliban authorities in Kabul, direct deportation flights cannot be arranged. Instead, removals are expected to be routed through Pakistan, a U.S. official said. Pakistan has separately carried out massive repatriations, expelling more than two million undocumented Afghans across its border since 2023.

Advocates voiced alarm over the safety of those scheduled for expulsion, noting that many fled their homeland following the chaotic U.S. military exit and the Taliban's return to power in 2021. Shawn VanDiver, president of the advocacy coalition AfghanEvac, warned that some of the people facing removal are close relatives of individuals who aided American military efforts. VanDiver described them as "brothers and sons of men who served alongside US forces, families the Taliban already has every reason to target."

VanDiver appealed to federal lawmakers to intervene by passing legislation that would grant Afghan nationals inside the United States temporary legal protections to shield them from forced returns.

When asked about the planned deportations, the Department of Homeland Security declined to verify forthcoming removal flights, pointing to operational security protocols.

The planned expulsions form part of a broader push by President Donald Trump to ramp up immigration enforcement and deportations, which the administration argues will strengthen homeland security. Civil rights groups, however, contend that the aggressive enforcement measures infringe on basic legal rights, undermine free speech protections, and foster widespread anxiety among immigrant communities amid concerns over profiling.