The Trump administration is preparing to deport more than 150 Afghan immigrants to Afghanistan, in what would be one of the largest single expulsions of Afghans since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
Dozens of those facing removal are being held in Louisiana, and the first flight could leave as early as Monday, according to the New York Times. Reuters, citing a United States official, reported that the deportations would be routed through Pakistan, because Washington has no diplomatic relations with the Taliban government and therefore cannot arrange direct returns to Kabul.
Many of those facing removal fled Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power in August 2021, when American forces withdrew after two decades of war. Shawn VanDiver, head of the veterans and advocacy coalition AfghanEvac, said some were relatives of men who had served alongside United States forces, describing them as “brothers and sons of men who served alongside US forces” and warning that they were people the Taliban already had reason to target.
President Donald Trump has said his immigration crackdown and deportation drive are intended to improve domestic security. Rights advocates, by contrast, argue that the crackdown violates due process and free speech protections and has created an unsafe environment for minorities, with concerns raised about racial profiling.
The Department of Homeland Security declined to confirm the planned operation, citing operational security. That means the scale of the operation and the timing of the first flight rest on the New York Times reporting and on the official and advocacy accounts cited by Reuters, rather than on a confirmed government announcement, and those details should be treated as unconfirmed until the administration says more.
The route through Pakistan adds a further complication. Pakistan has itself expelled more than two million Afghan nationals to Afghanistan since 2023, according to Reuters, raising questions among advocates about what reception awaits people returned to a country still ruled by the Taliban.
VanDiver urged Congress to pass legislation granting Afghans in the United States temporary protected status, which would shield them from removal. Without such protection, campaigners warn, people who fled the Taliban’s return could now be sent back to the country they escaped.
Sources: Reuters, “Trump administration plans to deport some Afghan immigrants to Afghanistan”, 31 October 2026, https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/trump-administration-plans-deport-some-afghan-immigrants-afghanistan-2026-10-31/ (which also cites New York Times reporting on the number of people expected to be deported and the timing of the first flight).
