US Prepares Mass Deportation of Afghans to Taliban-Controlled Territory

Federal immigration officials have reportedly moved Afghan detainees from across the country to Louisiana, readying a chartered flight for as early as Monday. The route involves sending the individuals to Pakistan, which has already expelled millions of Afghans and maintains a policy of forced removal, effectively funneling the deportees into the hands of the Taliban.

Among those slated for removal are relatives of individuals who assisted the US military during the occupation, as well as at least one gay man—groups specifically targeted for state-sanctioned violence and execution under current Taliban rule. Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, CEO of Global Refuge, condemned the timing of the flight, noting that returning these people to their persecutors mirrors the chaos of the U.S. withdrawal five years ago. Democratic senators, including Richard Blumenthal and Chris Coons, have denounced the plan as a betrayal of the promises made to Afghan allies, warning that the administration is knowingly placing vulnerable people in the path of torture and death.