The United States is preparing to deport Afghans held in immigration detention to Pakistan, with a charter flight reportedly expected to leave Louisiana in the coming weeks. Bloomberg reported the preparations on Monday, October 26, 2026, citing a federal official, immigration lawyers and advocacy groups.
AfghanEvac said detainees were told they could be sent there. Others were told Afghanistan could be the destination, while the organization said it had received reports that the country might serve as a transit point before onward removals.
The flight has not been publicly announced by U.S. authorities. As of October 27, detainees and their lawyers had not seen travel documents naming a destination, and officials had not confirmed the number of people involved or whether the receiving government would accept them. The legal circumstances of the reported removals also remain unconfirmed.
Some people told about the possible flight are relatives of Afghans who worked with the U.S. military before the former Afghan government fell in August 2021. AfghanEvac and the International Refugee Assistance Project have warned of security risks.
The administration has used third-country destinations before
The reported proposal fits an administration policy of sending some migrants to third countries, rather than to their countries of origin. The United States has not secured an agreement with the Taliban administration for direct returns to Afghanistan, according to the research. The possibility that the planned flight would use an intermediate stop remains unconfirmed.
AfghanEvac said the proposed transfer would be the first time detained Afghans had been sent to Pakistan. The organization also noted that the country has faced repeated condemnation from the United Nations and human-rights groups over its treatment of migrants.
The administration has sent Afghans elsewhere. AfghanEvac said a flight carrying at least 10 Afghans arrived in the Central African Republic the week before its October update, following another flight that carried 12 people there in August.
A separate case involved an Afghan man deported to the Central African Republic last month. His lawyer said he had judicial protection against deportation to Afghanistan because of the risk of persecution.
Advocates cite danger and track reports from 11 states
AfghanEvac said its October 26 update tallied at least 30 reports since October 14 about possible transfers or deportations. The reports involved 15 detention facilities in 11 U.S. states. They do not establish how many people would be put on the reported flight.
The organization has asked authorities to clarify the destination and give detainees a chance to explain risks they could face if returned. It has advised them to obtain legal assistance and clearly raise any fear of persecution or torture before removal proceedings finish.
The possible route comes amid a large Pakistani campaign to return Afghans across the border. The U.N. refugee agency and the International Organization for Migration recorded 86,644 arrests or detentions there between January 1 and October 17, most involving undocumented Afghans or Afghan Citizen Card holders.
The agencies also recorded 812,131 Afghans returning between January 1 and October 17, including 85,821 deportations. Since September 2023, more than 2.7 million Afghans have returned, including hundreds of thousands who were deported. The U.N. has called for returns to be voluntary, safe and dignified, particularly when people may face protection risks.
A February 2026 plan in Pakistan targeted 19,973 Afghan refugees awaiting U.S. resettlement, according to the reported figure. Officials planned to share their information with relevant authorities and begin deportation procedures.
Earlier measures targeted Afghan residents in two cities
A Pakistani government notification dated January 29, 2025, set a March 31, 2025, deadline for Afghan nationals to leave Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Some people holding Proof of Registration cards issued by the U.N. refugee agency were to move outside the cities. Afghan Citizen Card holders, undocumented refugees and asylum seekers faced deportation to Afghanistan.
Amnesty International said deporting those groups would violate the principle of non-refoulement. Isabelle Lassée, the organization’s deputy regional director for South Asia, criticized the deadline and its risk to refugees.
“The Pakistani government's unyielding and cruel deadline… to remove Afghan refugees and asylum seekers from two major cities, resulting in deportation of many at risk, shows little respect for international human rights law, particularly the principle of non-refoulement,” Lassée said.
Human rights lawyer Moniza Kakar said relocation could uproot people who had built homes, businesses and communities over decades. Lawyer Umer Gillani, who challenged the deportation decision at the Supreme Court and Islamabad High Court, said the notification had not been issued under a particular law. Amnesty said the full repatriation plan had not been made public.
AfghanEvac’s advice to detainees is to seek legal assistance and explain any fear of persecution or torture before proceedings conclude. The organization said the charter could leave Louisiana in the first week of November.
This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Consult a qualified immigration attorney about your specific case.
