ICE planning to deport Afghans through Pakistan, official says, prompting fears for their safety

November 2, 2026 / 9:27 PM EST / CBS News

The Trump administration has made plans to deport nearly 200 Afghan nationals by first sending them to Pakistan, where officials would then return the deportees to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, a U.S. official told CBS News.

The official cautioned the plans are still in flux, and that it's unclear when such deportations could take place.

The Afghans in question are in ICE custody, accused of violating U.S. immigration law.

The plan has triggered alarm among advocates for Afghans, who warn that the proposal could lead to the deportation of Afghans who could be persecuted by the Taliban because of the connections they or their relatives had to the U.S. war effort in Afghanistan.

The U.S. suspended operations at its Kabul embassy in 2021 and does not have official diplomatic relations with the current Taliban government, which would complicate any efforts to deport people directly to Afghanistan.

A U.S. immigration enforcement official confirmed in a sworn court declaration that a planned deportation flight originally scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 3, would land in Pakistan before an Afghan national would be transported onward to Afghanistan via land.

Sergio Aguilar, a supervisory detention and deportation officer…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/