WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is preparing to deport more than 150 Afghan immigrants to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan by routing them through Pakistan, according to reports published on Friday night, October 30, by The New York Times, Reuters and Agence France-Presse (AFP), citing US officials familiar with the arrangements. The first deportation flight could depart as early as Monday, November 2, the reports said.
Source: Times Now World (Reuters, AFP and US officials)
A US official separately confirmed to Reuters that the deportations would be routed through Pakistan because Washington does not maintain diplomatic relations with the Taliban authorities in Kabul. ABC News said it had reviewed a court filing for one detainee identifying Pakistan as the destination, with further transport to Afghanistan. The US government has not publicly announced the full details of the operation, including a final passenger list or schedule, and the Department of Homeland Security told Reuters it would not confirm future removal operations, citing operational security.
Source: Reuters / The New York Times reporting, via The American Quorum
Louisiana becomes the departure point
The New York Times reported, citing three US officials, that dozens of Afghan immigrants had been detained and concentrated in Louisiana, a departure point for international removal flights. ABC reported that one woman said her husband, detained for more than a year, had recently been transferred there from Pennsylvania and notified that removal could occur the following week. Those accounts do not establish the circumstances of every detainee or a final manifest.
Warnings from advocates — and the questions still unanswered
Advocacy groups warned that some of those facing removal could be exposed to persecution on return. Shawn VanDiver, president of the advocacy group AfghanEvac, stated that the group includes relatives of individuals who provided support to US military forces before the withdrawal from Kabul, and warned that the Taliban could target family members of former US allies in retaliation. Global Refuge asked Congress to demand disclosure of any arrangements with Pakistan or the Taliban, and confirmation that no affected person has a court order barring removal to Afghanistan.
Source: Reuters / The New York Times reporting, via The American Quorum
In a statement dated October 31, the Afghan-American Foundation (AAF) called on the Department of Homeland Security to immediately pause the reported removals until legal protections and safeguards are verified, and on Congress to exercise oversight. AAF asked who is being detained, whether those affected include people with pending asylum claims, valid documentation or existing protection orders, and what safeguards exist against onward removal from Pakistan to Afghanistan. It cited UNHCR and IOM reporting that approximately 2.74 million Afghans have returned from Pakistan to Afghanistan since September 2023 — yaani about 27.4 lakh people — and UN monitoring identifying fear of arrest as a major driver of departures.
Source: Afghan-American Foundation statement, October 31, 2026
Pakistan has been carrying out its own nationwide campaign against undocumented Afghans since 2023, and relations between Islamabad and Kabul have remained strained, with periodic border closures and clashes and Pakistani accusations — denied by the Taliban — that Afghanistan harbours militants behind attacks in Pakistan. The Taliban authorities had not publicly responded to the latest reports at the time of publication. The immediate test is whether the reported Monday departure proceeds, who is included, and what opportunity affected people have to challenge the destination and onward transfer in court.