A US federal court has temporarily barred the Trump administration from sending detained Afghan nationals to Afghanistan or Pakistan. In an order issued in New York on Tuesday, US District Judge Valerie Caproni suspended the deportations until Saturday, following warnings that the people involved could face danger if returned.
According to sources, more than 80 detained Afghans contacted human rights groups and immigration lawyers after receiving notices from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) saying they could be deported via Pakistan.
Those affected reportedly include women, former Afghan security personnel, members of religious minorities and people whose relatives served alongside US forces. Many fled Afghanistan after the Taliban returned to power in 2021. A group of US lawmakers had earlier urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Homeland Security secretary to step in and halt the removals.