Judge Valerie Caproni Blocks Deportation of Roughly 150 Detained Afghans

Judge Valerie Caproni temporarily blocked a planned deportation of detained Afghans to Afghanistan or Pakistan on November 3, 2026. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was part of a broader plan involving roughly 150 Afghan nationals.

AfghanEvac president Shawn VanDiver said at least two people from the Sacramento area had been expected on a flight. Multiple advocacy groups separately reported at least two Afghan refugees detained in Sacramento. The accounts do not establish whether they involved the same people.

Court documents described a planned flight from Louisiana to Pakistan on Monday, November 2, 2026. A senior agency official acknowledged that at least one Afghan immigrant was scheduled to travel onward from Pakistan to Afghanistan. No account establishes that the flight departed. DHS told the AP that ICE does not discuss future removal operations, citing operational security and personnel safety.

The court action was temporary. The order expires November 7, 2026.

Sacramento’s two detention accounts do not establish who was on the flight

VanDiver described a man who, he said, was detained after being told to report to an immigration monitoring program. He said the man was expected on the planned flight. “He got snatched up.”

Advocacy groups’ account of at least two local detentions does not provide individual names or dates. VanDiver’s description does not establish whether the man was one of those two people.

A NorCal Resist representative separately said an Afghan father was detained in Sacramento on October 20, 2026. His name has been withheld to protect his family’s privacy. That case is not established as part of either group of two.

The individual cases have no public status or proceedings answer

The individual immigration status and stated grounds for detention of the reported Sacramento refugees have not been established. The same details are not established for the father detained October 20.

Formal removal proceedings are also unclear. The court’s temporary order addresses the planned flight, but does not establish whether proceedings had begun in any Sacramento case. DHS said it “follows all lawful court orders.” That statement does not identify the status or circumstances of individual detainees.

The temporary order halted a plan involving roughly 150 Afghans

The government told the court that no chartered or commercial flights to Afghanistan or Pakistan were scheduled at least through the end of that week. The court order covered the broader plan, not a public case-by-case accounting of Sacramento detainees. Advocates and attorneys said more than 80 detained Afghans had contacted them after ICE notified them they could be deported that week via Pakistan; among them were women, a police officer, members of religious minorities, and people whose family members served in the U.S. military.

At a Sacramento gathering on November 5, advocates called for detention reviews and access to legal assistance. Nesar Ahamad, a former interpreter for American troops in Afghanistan, described his fear of the planned return:

“It made me feel sick to my stomach. I'm frustrated because anyone on that flight could be me.”

The court block does not resolve the detainees’ individual cases. The government’s statement about scheduled flights also does not say what will happen after the stated period.

Families can contact Matsui’s office or NorCal Resist

Immigration attorney Spojmie Nasiri urged people facing hearings or immigration check-ins to consult a licensed immigration lawyer. She also advised keeping copies of key documents with a trusted person and memorizing a contact number.

Rep. Doris Matsui’s Sacramento office can direct constituents to legal resources. Her office asks families with a detained relative to call (916) 498-5600. Aaron Jones, her senior field representative, said the office can refer callers to community groups when it cannot assist directly.