By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON, Oct 30 (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)
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