66 US Lawmakers Oppose Deportation of Afghan Nationals
DID Press: Sixty-six members of the US Congress have sent a letter to the Donald Trump administration calling for a halt to the deportation of at least 150 Afghan nationals who are expected to be transferred from detention facilities in Louisiana to Pakistan. The lawmakers warned that returning them to Afghanistan could expose them to serious threats and persecution.
In a letter sent on Monday to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, the lawmakers warned of the consequences of deporting the Afghan nationals, stressing that their return to Afghanistan could put their lives at risk.
The letter states that, according to reports from refugee advocacy organizations, at least 150 Afghan nationals have been placed on a deportation list starting Tuesday, November 3 (12 Aqrab), and are expected to be flown from detention facilities in Louisiana to Pakistan.
The members of Congress warned that some of those facing deportation had worked with US and international coalition forces during the American military presence in Afghanistan, while others are family members of former personnel who collaborated with those forces. They could face Taliban retaliation if returned to Afghanistan, the lawmakers said.
“Sending dozens of people to one of the most dangerous countries in the world, where they are likely to be targeted because of their own or their family members’ work with the US government or their criticism of the Taliban, amounts to issuing them a death sentence,” the letter stated.
The lawmakers also said the United States has a moral obligation to Afghans who risked their own safety and that of their families to support US forces, adding that Washington should not abandon them.
Meanwhile, Sean VanDiver, founder and president of AfghanEvac, an advocacy organization supporting Afghans, said many of those facing deportation had not been given sufficient opportunities to defend their cases in court. According to VanDiver, some had entered deportation proceedings without adequate legal assistance because they lacked legal representation.
Human Rights First has also announced that a flight carrying some Afghan nationals from Alexandria, Louisiana, to Pakistan was scheduled for Tuesday.
According to reports, US Department of Homeland Security officials told a court in submitted documents that the government ultimately intends to return some Afghans to their home country. This comes despite the fact that the United States has had no formal diplomatic relations with Afghanistan since the Taliban took power in August 2021.
Since taking office, the Trump administration has sought to halt Afghan resettlement programmes established during Joe Biden’s presidency. Reports also indicate that in November 2025, following a shooting by an Afghan national that injured two US National Guard members in Washington, Trump ordered a suspension of the processing of Afghan immigration applications.
Some Afghans who previously worked with US forces remain in other countries, including Qatar, awaiting decisions on their cases.
In September, the United States approved a nine-month extension of operations at Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar, which houses more than 1,000 Afghans who supported US forces.
Human rights organizations and refugee advocates have warned that deporting Afghans who worked with US forces without carefully assessing their security circumstances and providing them with an opportunity to defend their cases could expose them to serious danger.