Court papers reveal plan to fly 1000 Afghans to Pakistan

More than 1,000 Afghans currently live in a camp in Qatar that the Trump administration recently extended by nine months. That number highlights the scale of the population the government is now moving through a new deportation pathway. Court records obtained by the Associated Press show a specific plan to fly detained Afghans from the United States to Pakistan.

The documents detail a charter flight scheduled to leave Alexandria, Louisiana, on Monday. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, maintains detention and processing centers in that location. The plan is to fly the detainees to Pakistan before transferring them to Afghanistan. A federal judge in Virginia reviewed a sealed document on Friday that outlined these logistics for one specific case.

Shawn VanDiver, a Marine veteran and president of the advocacy group #AfghanEvac, reacted to the news with strong concern. He called the plan absolutely inconceivable. He stated that the administration seems to have no limits when it comes to breaking the law and violating human rights. The group tracks Afghans who worked with the U.S. military and fear for their safety if returned.

Bloomberg first reported the plan on Monday. The New York Times followed up on Friday with details about the transfer process. The Times noted that immigrants would be sent to Afghanistan after arriving in Pakistan. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security sent an email to the AP on Saturday. The official said ICE does not comment on future deportation operations due to operational security and staff protection.

Savitri Arvey, a policy director at Human Rights First, confirmed a flight from Louisiana to Pakistan is set for Tuesday. She described the move as a massive deportation of Afghans being forced through Pakistan into the hands of the Taliban. Arvey noted that this adds to previous flights tracked by her group, including moves of Iranian converts and Russian dissidents through Qatar, Kuwait, and Egypt.

Democratic members of Congress used social media to voice their objections. Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire posted on X that it is reprehensible to deport hundreds of Afghans, including women, children, and U.S. allies, to Pakistan. She argued the Congress must oppose the move. Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said the administration is betraying a promise to Afghans who helped protect U.S. troops. He warned they face possible torture and death.

The Trump administration suspended the Afghan resettlement program early in this second term. This was part of a series of executive orders to tighten immigration policies. The changes left thousands of people stranded in various locations after they completed long verification processes. The administration also moved to focus refugee admission on white South Africans, altering the demographic of the program significantly.

In September, the government extended the life of Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar. The camp houses more than 1,000 Afghans who collaborated with the U.S. war effort or are related to U.S. military personnel. The original closing date was September 30, but the administration extended it to the end of the fiscal year. This extension bought time for the population that remains in the camp.

Federal prosecutors in Oklahoma revealed on Monday that another Afghan immigrant was scheduled for deportation next week. This case mirrors the Virginia proceedings. It is not immediately clear if the individuals designated for return to Afghanistan hold court orders protecting them from removal. The legal battles continue as the first flights are prepared for departure from Louisiana.

The Embassy of Pakistan in Washington did not respond to emails seeking comment. The process involves multiple federal agencies and international partners. The next scheduled step is the Tuesday flight from Louisiana. Immigration officials will monitor the cases as the detainees travel to their new destination.