Afghan Deportation Flights: 66 Lawmakers Urge Trump to Cancel Them via Pakistan

Sixty-six members of Congress have urged the Trump administration to cancel planned Afghan deportation flights, warning that sending Afghans back through Pakistan to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan could put their lives at risk. The bipartisan letter, led by Representative Scott Peters of California and sent on Monday, November 2, 2026, to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, demands the immediate cancellation of the flights.

Advocacy groups report that more than 150 detained Afghans were due to be flown from Louisiana detention facilities to Pakistan from Tuesday, November 3, with onward return to Afghanistan. Human Rights First confirmed a flight from Alexandria, Louisiana, to Pakistan was scheduled for Tuesday. The Department of Homeland Security declined to confirm future removal operations, and it was not confirmed whether any flight had departed.

Key Points

• 66 bicameral members of Congress, led by Rep. Scott Peters, wrote on November 2, 2026, demanding cancellation of Afghan deportation flights.
• The letter went to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.
• More than 150 detained Afghans were reported due to be flown from Louisiana to Pakistan from November 3.
• Lawmakers called return to Taliban rule a “death sentence” for suspected US supporters.
• The letter also flags a reported Iranian deportation flight, including women, Christian converts and activists.

What Happened

The lawmakers demanded the immediate cancellation of deportation flights carrying Afghans and Iranians, whether direct or via another country. Their letter cites reports that more than 150 detained Afghans were due to be flown from Louisiana to Pakistan from Tuesday, with onward return to Afghanistan.

The lawmakers stressed that Afghanistan is a State Department Level 4 “Do Not Travel” country, its highest warning level. Some facing removal are relatives of Afghans who worked with US forces, or supported the American mission themselves. Sending them back would expose them to targeting for suspected US support or criticism of the Taliban.

The Department of Homeland Security declined to confirm future operations. The Taliban-led Afghan Foreign Ministry said on Monday it was prepared to engage constructively on returns, and it was not confirmed whether any reported flight had departed.

Background and Context

This letter follows a deportation plan reported in late October to send more than 150 Afghans held in Louisiana back to Afghanistan via Pakistan. The US has no diplomatic relations with the Taliban government, which has ruled Afghanistan since US troops withdrew in August 2021, so a third country is needed. US News Pulse previously reported the plan in full, including the Louisiana detentions and the first flight expected from November 2.

More than 120,000 Afghans were evacuated in 2021 after the chaotic US withdrawal. Many were first granted humanitarian parole, then Temporary Protected Status in 2022 for 18 months. Since then, few have moved asylum or special immigrant applications through a severely backlogged system, leaving many in legal limbo for five years. The Trump administration terminated that protected status and moved to end resettlement programmes begun under former President Joe Biden.

Pakistan has itself deported millions of Afghans to Afghanistan in recent years, so a flight to Pakistan does not guarantee safety.

Afghan Deportation Flights and the Pakistan Route

The Pakistan route is central to the dispute. Because Washington does not recognise the Taliban government and has no embassy in Kabul, deportees cannot simply be flown to Afghanistan on a normal route. Instead, the reported plan uses Pakistan as a transit point, from where people may be returned onward to Afghanistan.

That fits a wider third-country strategy. The administration has agreements with at least 35 countries to take in third-country nationals, often because it cannot send them directly home for fear they would be tortured, killed or persecuted. Nonprofit tallies cited by Al Jazeera put the number forcibly sent to third countries at more than 25,000. A separate study found deportations under Trump approached 980,000 in 18 months, most involving people without criminal records.

Critics say the practice undermines humanitarian norms on asylum, since deportees often end up in countries with poor human rights records, or places so dangerous the US tells its own citizens not to travel there. Supporters argue removal orders must be carried out and third-country agreements are a lawful tool.

Reactions and Quotes

The lawmakers’ language was unusually stark. “Sending dozens of people back to one of the most dangerous countries on earth, and where they are likely to be targeted for their or their family’s suspected support of the US government or criticism of the Taliban, is a death sentence,” they wrote. They added: “Our country made a promise never to abandon the Afghans who sacrificed their own and their family’s safety to stand with American service members.”

Shawn VanDiver, founder and president of AfghanEvac, told Al Jazeera most Afghans scheduled for deportation did not have a proper chance to fight removal in court. “They were placed into removal proceedings because they didn’t have attorneys to fight,” he said. He spoke on Monday to a former Afghan police officer who expected to be deported and feared for his life if returned.

“These people are in dire straits; they have been stuck in this limbo for five years, waiting for permanency, waiting for green cards, waiting to hear about their status,” VanDiver said. Homeland Security has not publicly responded beyond declining to confirm future operations.

Why It Matters

The letter matters for three reasons. First, it tests a central promise of the US evacuation: that Afghans who stood with American forces would not be abandoned. Second, it asks whether a flight to Pakistan can be called safe when onward return to Afghanistan is the expected outcome. Third, it arrives on Election Day, November 3, 2026, when immigration is already a defining midterm issue. It also broadens the dispute beyond Afghans, warning about a reported Iranian deportation flight, including women, Christian converts and pro-democracy activists.

What Happens Next

Attention now turns to whether the administration answers the letter, delays the reported flights, or proceeds despite congressional pressure. Advocates are watching Alexandria, Louisiana, flights and court challenges to individual removals. If a flight departs, attention will shift to Pakistan and onward transfers to Afghanistan.

Lawmakers may also press the issue through legislation. VanDiver said advocates are pushing a bipartisan bill that would grant many Afghans Temporary Protected Status after the administration withdrew it. For now, the 150-plus Afghans remain in detention, waiting to learn whether Tuesday’s flight ends their US stay — or whether Congress has bought them more time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who wrote the letter?

Sixty-six bicameral members, led by Rep. Scott Peters of California, wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on November 2, 2026.

How many Afghans are affected?

More than 150 detained Afghans, due to be flown from Louisiana to Pakistan from November 3.

Why go via Pakistan?

The US has no diplomatic relations with the Taliban government. Pakistan is the reported transit route, although it has itself deported millions of Afghans to Afghanistan.

What did the Department of Homeland Security say?

It declined to confirm future removal operations, and it was not confirmed whether any flight had departed when the letter became public.