In a quiet corner of the American immigration machine, a plan has taken shape that few of its own participants fully understood until recently: nearly 200 Afghans held in ICE custody would be flown first to Pakistan and then carried overland toward Afghanistan, a country the United States no longer has diplomatic ties with and where the Taliban now rule. The route is a product of history itself, born of the 2021 withdrawal that closed the American embassy in Kabul and left no clean channel for sending people back. Whether Pakistan has agreed to receive them, and who would take responsibility a
ICE Plans to Route Afghan Deportees Through Pakistan, Raising Taliban Persecution Fears
Afghans in ICE custody face possible deportation to Afghanistan, where advocates warn Taliban persecution could target them over their ties to the U.S. war effort.
"Abandonment with a boarding pass."
Mark
Why does the Pakistan stopover matter so much?
Mimi
Because the U.S. has no embassy in Kabul and no relations with the Taliban. Pakistan becomes the workaround, and that leaves the last leg of the journey in someone else's hands.
Mark
Who exactly would carry people over the border?
Mimi
That's the gap. Sadat's lawyer says his clients weren't told who would take them overland or how.
Luke
And the reporting doesn't fill it. We don't know if Pakistan has agreed to receive them. DHS didn't say, and the Pakistani embassy hadn't responded.
Mark
DHS says it gets assurances from destination countries. Doesn't that answer it?
Luke
It's a general statement. DHS didn't say whether Pakistan gave assurances here, or whether they'd cover treatment in Afghanistan. Its line that ICE isn't responsible once someone leaves custody points the other way.
Mimi
The persecution fear comes from advocates. They say ties to the U.S. war effort could make people targets. That's their warning, not a documented outcome.
Mark
What about the number, nearly 200?
Luke
One unnamed U.S. official gave it, and said plans are in flux. Treat it as provisional, as is the timing.
Mark
Are the courts stopping this?
Mimi
Mixed. Sadat was released on due process grounds. Ahmadi was denied for lack of jurisdiction, and Khaleeq was denied too, though reconsideration notices are in.
Luke
Worth noting that the Taliban's own foreign ministry objected, which is unusual company for the advocates.
Le Pouls
- A charter flight out of Alexandria, Louisiana, is poised to carry detainees on a route whose final leg is still unclear.
- Court filings have pulled the plan into public view, and a judge has already freed one detainee from the flight list.
- Advocates warn of Taliban reprisals, while 66 lawmakers are pressing Washington to cancel the flights entirely.
- The Taliban's own Foreign Ministry has publicly objected, adding pressure from an unexpected quarter.
- Pakistan has not confirmed it will accept the deportees, and DHS and State Department are passing the question back and forth, leaving the outcome suspended.
In a quiet corner of the American immigration machine, a plan has taken shape that few of its own participants fully understood until recently: nearly 200 Afghans held in ICE custody would be flown first to Pakistan and then carried overland toward Afghanistan, a country the United States no longer has diplomatic ties with and where the Taliban now rule. The route is a product of history itself, born of the 2021 withdrawal that closed the American embassy in Kabul and left no clean channel for sending people back. Whether Pakistan has agreed to receive them, and who would take responsibility at the border, remains unsettled. Behind the logistics stands a human question that courts and lawmakers are now being asked to weigh: what becomes of people who once stood beside the American war effort when they are returned to the power they once opposed.
A charter flight was scheduled to leave Alexandria, Louisiana, on Tuesday, November 3, carrying Afghan detainees on a path that even some officials had only recently grasped. Its first stop would be Pakistan, not Afghanistan, and from there the detainees would be moved overland to the Afghan border. A U.S. official told CBS News that the Trump administration plans to deport nearly 200 Afghans in ICE custody this way, all accused of violating immigration law. The official cautioned that the plans remain in flux and that the timing is uncertain.
The detour exists because the United States closed its Kabul embassy in 2021 and has no diplomatic relations with the Taliban government, which makes direct removal difficult. The route surfaced in a sworn declaration by an ICE supervisory officer, who wrote that he first believed the plane would land in Afghanistan but later learned its destination was Pakistan. The filing arose in a case involving Said Mansor Sadat, a 30-year-old Afghan assigned to the flight. His attorney said his clients were told they would fly to Pakistan and then travel overland, but not who would transport them or how. Sadat has since been removed from the flight list and released after a judge ruled his detention violated due process. Another client awaited a ruling on an emergency motion.
DHS declined to discuss the flights for operational reasons, saying third-country deportees normally receive notice and diplomatic assurances. It did not say whether Pakistan gave such assurances or whether they cover what happens inside Afghanistan. The Pakistani embassy did not respond, and questions bounced between DHS and the State Department.
Advocates say some of those facing removal could be targeted by the Taliban because of their own or relatives' ties to the U.S. war effort. One veteran-led group called the plan "abandonment with a boarding pass." Sixty-six members of Congress have urged that the deportation flights be cancelled. Even the Taliban-led Foreign Ministry voiced concern, calling for respect for Afghan citizens' rights and warning against third countries trading in other nations' nationals.
Similar challenges have surfaced in Texas and Louisiana, where judges have so far declined emergency relief, citing jurisdictional limits, though reconsideration requests remain pending. What comes next will depend on those rulings and on whether the congressional pressure reshapes a plan that is still taking form.
A charter flight was set to leave Alexandria, Louisiana, on Tuesday, Nov. 3, carrying Afghan detainees on a route that, until recently, even some of the officials involved did not fully understand. Its first stop would be Pakistan, not Afghanistan. From there, the Afghans would be moved overland to the Afghan border.
A U.S. official told CBS News that the Trump administration has plans to deport nearly 200 Afghans in ICE custody by this route. All are accused of violating U.S. immigration law. Pakistani officials would then return them to Afghanistan. The official cautioned that the plans are still in flux and that it is unclear when such deportations might happen.
The detour exists because the United States suspended operations at its Kabul embassy in 2021 and has no official diplomatic relations with the Taliban government, which complicates any direct removal. The route came to light in a sworn declaration filed Oct. 30 by Sergio Aguilar, a supervisory detention and deportation officer at ICE. He wrote that he first understood the charter would land in Afghanistan but later learned its destination was Pakistan. "The plane's final destination would be Pakistan with further transport onward to Afghanistan," he wrote. He added that the man's intended removal destination, per his removal order, was Afghanistan.
The declaration was filed in Sadat v. Mullin, a case involving Said Mansor Sadat, a 30-year-old Afghan national assigned to the flight. U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff had ordered federal officials to explain whether the plane would fly directly to Afghanistan or stop in Pakistan. Sadat's attorney, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, said that both Sadat and another client were told independently they would fly to Pakistan and then travel overland to the Afghan border. "They were not told who would be taking them overland and in what manner," he told CBS News by email on Monday. Sadat has since been taken off the flight list and released from ICE custody after a judge ruled that his continued detention violated his due process rights. The second client was still awaiting a ruling on an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order Monday night.
The disclosures leave open whether Pakistan has agreed to receive the deportees and which government would be responsible for moving them into Afghanistan. The Department of Homeland Security declined to discuss the flights, citing operational security. A spokesperson said that people sent to third countries receive notice and assurances beforehand, and that ICE obtains diplomatic assurances from destination countries that deportees will be safe. The department did not say whether Pakistan gave such assurances here, or whether any would cover onward transport and treatment in Afghanistan. "When an individual is no longer in ICE custody, ICE is no longer responsible for them," the spokesperson said. The Pakistani embassy did not immediately respond to CBS News. DHS referred questions about third-country agreements to the State Department, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio, asked at an Oct. 31 news conference, sent the question back to DHS. The State Department did not respond to CBS News.
Advocates warn that some of those facing removal could be persecuted by the Taliban because of their own or their relatives' ties to the U.S. war effort. Most Afghans who came to the U.S. in recent years arrived after Kabul fell in 2021, some through a Biden-era resettlement effort and others on their own, a few traveling first to Latin America and crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran and founder of #AfghanEvac, called the plan "abandonment with a boarding pass" and said Pakistan has no plan for these families and every reason to send them to the Taliban. Sixty-six members of Congress had, as of Monday, signed a letter urging Rubio and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to cancel deportation flights of Afghans and Iranians.
Even the Taliban-led Foreign Ministry voiced concern Monday over reports of the transfer, calling for coordination and respect for Afghan citizens' rights and dignity. A spokesperson said third countries should not bargain over the transfer of another country's nationals for short-term concessions.
The plan has also surfaced in other courts. In Texas, Judge Kathleen Cardone noted in an Oct. 15 order that ICE acknowledged Basir Ahmad Ahmadi, detained in El Paso, had been nominated for an Afghanistan removal mission tentatively set for early November. He argued Pakistan could arrest him and hand him to the Taliban; on Oct. 29 she denied relief, finding the court lacked jurisdiction. In Louisiana, Khaled Khaleeq sought emergency intervention after hearing through news reports and fellow detainees that he might be sent to Pakistan or Afghanistan. A judge denied his request Oct. 30, though reconsideration notices have been filed.
What to watch now: the rulings in Sadat v. Mullin and the related cases, and whether the congressional letter changes the plan.
Citations marquantes
The plane's final destination would be Pakistan with further transport onward to Afghanistan.— Sergio Aguilar, ICE supervisory detention and deportation officer, Oct. 30 court declaration
When an individual is no longer in ICE custody, ICE is no longer responsible for them.— DHS spokesperson
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