Sixty-six US lawmakers have urged the Trump administration to halt a planned mass deportation of Afghans, including some who worked alongside coalition forces in Afghanistan before the 2021 withdrawal.
In a letter sent on Monday to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, the lawmakers cited advocacy group reports that at least 150 Afghans were due to be flown from detention facilities in Louisiana to Pakistan from Tuesday. According to sources, Department of Homeland Security officials said in court filings that they eventually planned to return some of them to Afghanistan.
"Sending dozens of people back to one of the most dangerous countries on earth, and where they are likely to be targeted for their or their family's suspected support of the US government or criticism of the Taliban, is a death sentence," the letter said. The lawmakers added that the US had promised never to abandon Afghans who stood with American service members.
Shawn VanDiver, founder of the advocacy group AfghanEvac, said most of those facing removal had no real chance to fight their cases in court because they lacked lawyers. He said they included a former police officer of the toppled Afghan government and others who had worked for that government or with the US.
The US has no diplomatic relations with Afghanistan's Taliban government. Rights groups say the Trump administration has agreements with at least 35 countries to take third-country nationals and has sent at least 25,000 people to third countries. Pakistan itself has deported millions of Afghans to Afghanistan in recent years.