The Trump administration is preparing to deport dozens of Afghan immigrants and asylum seekers to Pakistan on the first such flight of its kind, a senior administration official told NBC News — a move critics say could put their lives at risk.
uncertain
critics → prepare → risk
The proposed deportation flight, which has not been publicly announced, could take place as early as Monday, according to rights advocates and families of detainees.
uncertain
which → propose → detainees
Among those facing deportation are relatives of Afghans who worked with the U.S. military in its 20-year war against the Taliban, which is now back in power.
asserted
which → face → power
The deportees could face severe repercussions should Pakistan return them to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan as is widely expected.
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Pakistan → face → Afghanistan
Afghans driven from their country by war and political instability have been welcomed by the U.S. for decades, including tens of thousands who fled the country following the chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-led forces in 2021.
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who → drive → 2021
President Donald Trump halted admissions for Afghans and other refugees when he returned to office last year as part of a broader immigration crackdown.
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he → halt → crackdown
His administration has deported thousands of people to countries that are not their own, many of them in Africa, in what immigration lawyers say is an effort to skirt international laws against returning asylum seekers to the countries they fled from.
asserted
they → deport → countries
The legality of these so-called third-country deportation agreements is set to be debated by the Supreme Court in December.
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legality → call → December
It is not clear what kind of formal agreement the U.S. may have with Pakistan, but the senior administration official said the U.S. charter flight would not be able to land there without the Pakistan government’s knowledge and approval.
uncertain
flight → have → knowledge
The deportation plan was earlier reported by Bloomberg and The New York Times.
asserted
plan → report → Bloomberg
Bloomberg cited a federal government official familiar with the plans as a source for its report, while The New York Times cited three U.S. officials.
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Times → cite → officials
Shawn VanDiver, president of the San Diego-based advocacy group AfghanEvac, said it had confirmed that in recent days at least 80 Afghans have been moved to Louisiana from 34 other ICE facilities around the country, 19 of them without legal representation.
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Afghans → base → representation
He said it was possible that there were hundreds of Afghans at the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center, which has served as a hub for ICE detainees before their deportation from the U.S.
If the U.S. sends Afghan detainees to Pakistan, they are not likely to be there long.
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they → say → Pakistan
Pakistan, which has hosted millions of Afghan refugees for decades, launched a sweeping crackdown in 2023, pressuring hundreds of thousands of Afghans to leave the country and forcibly deporting others.
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which → host → others
They are arriving to an Afghanistan battered by multiple humanitarian crises, including widespread malnutrition, as well as an ongoing military conflict with neighboring Pakistan and a dramatic rollback of women’s rights under the Taliban’s hard-line Islamic policies.
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They → arrive → policies
VanDiver said the Trump administration would most likely be aware that Afghans sent to Pakistan would be at high risk of being returned to Afghanistan.
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Afghans → say → Afghanistan
“You don’t have to be that smart to figure out that they’re sending them to Pakistan so that Pakistan will finish the job,” he said.
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he → have → job
Regardless of whether they worked with the U.S. military, VanDiver said, any Afghans flown from the U.S. would be viewed with suspicion by the Taliban and at risk of persecution, imprisonment or worse.
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Afghans → work → persecution
That does not appear to be a major concern for the White House, said the senior administration official, who declined to be identified because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
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they → appear → media
“The administration’s position is, ‘These individuals do not have status in our country, therefore we don’t really care what happens to them,’” the official said.
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official → have → them
VanDiver and others say the Trump administration’s treatment of Afghan allies could also have long-term consequences for U.S. national security by discouraging people in other countries from working with U.S. forces in future conflicts.
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treatment → say → conflicts
Asked whether the Trump administration was concerned about that, the official said, “I don’t think they care.”
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they → ask → that
The White House referred a request for comment to the Department of Homeland Security, whose spokesperson said the agency could not confirm removal operations “for operational security reasons.”
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agency → refer → reasons
ICE did not respond to a request for comment.
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ICE → respond → comment
A State Department spokesperson said the agency had “no plans to announce.”
“We reaffirm our position that all countries must be able to manage their borders and immigration processes in a manner that ensures the safety, security and prosperity of their citizens,” the spokesperson said.
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spokesperson → say → citizens
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment.
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Ministry → respond → comment
The senior administration official said the Afghans on the flight could include people with deportation orders, people who were turned down for asylum and people whose temporary protected status was terminated by the Trump administration.
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status → say → administration
Many of the Afghans facing deportation requested asylum after crossing into the U.S. from Mexico, VanDiver said, and some of their cases are still pending.
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some → face → cases
‘We just sat there and cried’
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We → sit → ?
Charlotte, a U.S. citizen whose Afghan husband has been in ICE detention since early 2025, said he had been moved to the Louisiana facility from Pennsylvania this month and told he would be deported in early November.
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he → say → November
She declined to be identified by her full name out of concern that her husband could be targeted by the Taliban.
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husband → decline → Taliban
Charlotte said she and her husband, whose asylum case has been pending for nine years, were visiting family in Maryland last year when he accidentally crossed into West Virginia and was pulled over.
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he → say → Virginia
Though he was carrying his valid Illinois driver’s license, he did not have his work permit with him.
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he → carry → him
“When he was pulled over,” she said, “the sheriff actually said, ‘I’m an ICE agent.
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I → pull → ?
You’re going to immigration custody.
asserted
You → go → custody
I don’t care if the charges are dismissed, or I don’t care if you have a five-year work permit or Social Security card.
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you → care → permit
I don’t care if you’re legal.
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you → care → ?
Trump’s administration just took over — you’re going directly to immigration custody.’
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you → take → custody
Charlotte sold their home in Illinois and moved to Maryland with their son, now 6, in order to be able to visit her husband at the ICE facility where he was held in Pennsylvania, about 100 miles away.
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he → sell → Pennsylvania
“I lost my nice house, our car, we left everything behind,” she said.
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she → lose → everything
…and 28 more, not listed.
The Aporia
