Trump administration plans to deport some Afghan immigrants to Afghanistan

WASHINGTON, Oct 31 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s administration plans to deport some Afghan immigrants to Afghanistan, a US official ​and a coalition of veterans and advocacy groups ‌said on Friday.

• Many facing removal fled Afghanistan after the 2021 Taliban takeover and US withdrawal, said Shawn VanDiver, head of #AfghanEvac.
• Some ​facing deportation are “brothers and sons of men who ​served alongside US forces, families the Taliban already ⁠has every reason to target,” VanDiver added.
• Over 150 Afghan ​immigrants are expected to be deported, the New York ​Times reported, in one of the largest single expulsions of Afghans.
• The administration detained dozens of Afghan immigrants in Louisiana and plans to ​deport them, the newspaper said, adding the first ​flight is expected as soon as Monday.
• A US official said deportations ‌would ⁠be via Pakistan. Washington cannot directly arrange deportations to Afghanistan as it lacks diplomatic ties with the Taliban.
• Trump says his immigration crackdown and deportation drive aim to improve domestic security.
• Rights ​advocates say ​the crackdown violates due ⁠process and free speech and has created an unsafe environment for minorities, who ​have raised concerns about racial profiling.
• The Homeland Security Department ​said ⁠it would not confirm future removal operations, citing operational security.
• VanDiver urged Congress to pass legislation granting Afghans in the ⁠US ​temporary protected status to protect ​them from deportation.
• Pakistan has expelled over 2 million Afghan nationals to Afghanistan since ​2023.

Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by William Mallard