Trump administration plans to deport more than 150 Afghans through Pakistan despite persecution fears under Taliban

The Trump administration is preparing to deport more than 150 Afghan immigrants from the United States through Pakistan, where they are expected to be sent onward across the border into Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, according to The New York Times.

The group includes relatives of Afghans who assisted the U.S. military and at least one gay man who says he fears imprisonment or execution if returned to Afghanistan.

The first charter flight could leave Louisiana as early as Nov. 2, according to U.S. officials and court documents cited by the Times.

Because the United States does not have diplomatic relations with the Taliban, the detainees would first be flown to Pakistan. U.S. officials told the newspaper the removals are effectively intended to return the group to Afghanistan, with Pakistani authorities expected to oversee their transfer across the border.

The detainees include people who entered the United States through both legal and irregular channels, and some have criminal records. Lawyers representing several of them are challenging their deportations.

U.S. law bars the government from removing individuals to countries where courts have determined they are likely to face persecution. It is not yet clear whether any of the Afghans scheduled for removal hold such specific court protections.

Pakistan has separately been carrying out a mass deportation campaign against Afghans. More than 2.7 million Afghan citizens have been expelled or forced to return since 2023, while Islamabad has said the remaining Afghan population will also be removed regardless of immigration status.

The Department of Homeland Security has not publicly announced the operation and ICE does not comment on prospective removal flights.