KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Trump administration’s reported plan to deport more than 150 Afghan migrants to Afghanistan via Pakistan has drawn sharp criticism from US lawmakers and advocacy groups, who warn that they could face persecution, torture, or even death under Taliban rule.
The criticism follows a report by The New York Times that US authorities had detained dozens of Afghan migrants in Louisiana, including relatives of Afghans who worked with American forces, and plan to fly them to Pakistan as early as next week, from where they would likely be returned across the border into Afghanistan.
Those facing deportation reportedly include relatives of former US military allies and at least one gay man. The United States has no diplomatic relations with the Taliban, and the reported arrangement would involve flying the migrants to Pakistan, whose authorities would then return them to Afghanistan.
The New York Times reviewed court documents concerning an Afghan man who was arrested and tortured by the Taliban in 2023 because of his wife’s links to the former Afghan government and security forces. The newspaper also reported the case of a 47-year-old man identified as Mohammad, whose family fled Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion and who said he feared returning because of his sexual orientation.
Several US lawmakers have called on the administration to reverse the reported plan, saying it could put Afghans who supported American forces during the two-decade war in Afghanistan and their families at risk.
Senator Chris Coons of Delaware said President Trump had approved the expulsion of more than 150 Afghans to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, where they could face persecution and torture.
“While he hopes nobody is watching, Trump greenlit the expulsion of more than 150 Afghans back to Taliban rule, where they will face almost certain persecution, torture, or worse,” Coons wrote on X, calling for accountability over the administration’s “cruel” immigration policies.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire called on the US Congress to stand against the plan, describing it as “reprehensible.” “It is reprehensible that the Trump administration plans to deport hundreds of Afghans, including women, children and those who supported US forces, to Pakistan, where they risk being sent back into the hands of the Taliban,” she wrote on X. “Congress must stand against this.”
Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia also criticized the plan, saying Afghans who assisted US forces risked their lives and that returning their relatives to Taliban rule would undermine America’s commitments to its former partners.
“Our Afghan allies risked everything to help the United States,” Kaine wrote. “Now Trump plans to send their relatives back to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.” He warned that the decision could damage US credibility and make it more difficult for Washington to secure cooperation from local partners in future conflicts.
Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut accused the administration of betraying its promises to Afghan allies. “We made a promise to our Afghan allies—that after aiding and protecting our troops during the conflict in Afghanistan, America would not abandon them,” he said, warning that deportation could expose them to torture and death.
Representative Scott Peters of California called for the reported decision to be reversed. “Afghans who stood with American troops, and their families, are being quietly loaded onto a plane to Pakistan, where they will very likely be pushed to the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan,” Peters said. “If this administration has its way, we would be throwing our vulnerable allies into the jaws of mortal danger. This is absolute cruelty, and it is not who we are.”
AfghanEvac, a U.S.-based organization founded by military veterans to support Afghans who worked alongside American forces, has also urged Congress to intervene. Shawn VanDiver, the group’s president, said many of those facing removal had fled Afghanistan after the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. “Some facing deportation are brothers and sons of men who served alongside US forces, families the Taliban already has every reason to target,” he said.
“The Taliban is a regime that jails, tortures, and kills the people it considers its enemies. It has hunted down former soldiers, police officers, and the families of anyone who worked with the United States,” part of the AfghanEvac statement reads. “Sending someone there is not a deportation; it is a sentence.”
According to the organization, some detained Afghans had reportedly been told they would be sent to Pakistan, while others had been informed they were being deported to Afghanistan. It said uncertainty over the destination of the flight and the limited information provided to detainees and their lawyers raised concerns about their ability to challenge their removal.
AfghanEvac also called on Congress to pass legislation granting Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to eligible Afghans in the United States, arguing that they should not be returned to a country where they could face persecution.
US law generally prohibits the removal of people to countries where they face persecution or torture if they qualify for relevant legal protections. However, it remains unclear whether any of the Afghans included in the reported operation have such protections.
The Trump administration has not officially announced the plan, and Pakistan has not publicly confirmed any role in the reported arrangement.
The reported operation comes as Pakistan continues its own mass deportation of Afghan refugees. Since 2023, Pakistan has expelled or forced the return of more than 2.7 million Afghan refugees, according to U.N. figures.
