October 31, 2026 · Immigration, Detention & Civil Rights
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Trump Administration Prepares to Deport Afghan Refugees to Pakistan Despite Risk of Taliban Return
The Trump administration is preparing a charter flight, which could fly as early as Monday, Nov. 2, to deport Afghan refugees to Pakistan, NBC News reported Oct. 31, citing a senior official; the plan was earlier reported separately by Bloomberg and The New York Times. Advocacy group AfghanEvac said it had confirmed at least 80 Afghans were recently moved to a Louisiana ICE center from 34 other facilities, 19 without legal representation, and said hundreds more could be held there.
Among those facing removal are relatives of Afghans who worked with the U.S. military; advocates say Pakistan, which has pressured and expelled hundreds of thousands of Afghans since 2023, would likely return them to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Trump halted new Afghan refugee admissions on returning to office, and has deported other Afghans to third countries including the Central African Republic.
The flight had not been publicly announced as of Oct. 31. The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in December on the legality of the administration's broader third-country deportation practice.
Among those facing removal are relatives of Afghans who worked with the U.S. military; advocates say Pakistan, which has pressured and expelled hundreds of thousands of Afghans since 2023, would likely return them to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Trump halted new Afghan refugee admissions on returning to office, and has deported other Afghans to third countries including the Central African Republic.
The flight had not been publicly announced as of Oct. 31. The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in December on the legality of the administration's broader third-country deportation practice.