US Judge Blocks Deportation of Afghans to Afghanistan or Pakistan Due to Safety Concerns

MIAMI: A federal judge in New York temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s plans to deport Afghans detained in the United States to Afghanistan or Pakistan on Tuesday, after advocates and dozens of members of Congress warned that their lives would be at risk. The government told the court Tuesday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement had no chartered or commercial flights for deporting Afghan nationals to Afghanistan or to Pakistan at least to the end of the week. Judge Valerie Caproni’s order, which expires Saturday, asks all officials to adhere to that. ICE books the flights weeks in advance. A letter led by California Democratic Rep. Scott Peters and signed by 65 other members of the House and Senate said they were “extremely concerned that sending vulnerable people” would expose them to “persecution, torture, or even death.” The letter was sent Monday to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. Immigrant rights organizations have also warned that those deported could face retaliation from the Taliban. Thousands of Afghans fled persecution and feared for their lives after helping the U.S. military and aid groups in Afghanistan. According to court documents obtained by the Associated Press, the U.S. planned to deport Afghan immigrants on Monday on flights from Louisiana, where ICE has immigrant detention and processing facilities, to Pakistan. President Donald Trump's administration has deported thousands of immigrants to countries other than their own. In some cases, it has resorted to third-country deportations when removal to their countries of origin was not possible, like when formal diplomatic relations were absent, as is the case with Afghanistan’s Taliban government. In other instances, third-country deportations have been used as a deterrent.