Nearly 200 Afghans in ICE custody face planning for deport through Pakistan, official says, prompting fears for safety

Pakistan route described

The Afghans are in ICE custody and are accused of violating U.S. immigration law. A U.S. official told CBS News that the administration’s plan is to send nearly 200 people to Pakistan before they are returned to Afghanistan.

ICE officer Sergio Aguilar said he first believed the charter would land in Afghanistan, then learned Pakistan was the destination. In an October 30 declaration, he said the intended removal destination remained Afghanistan, with onward transport from Pakistan.

Detainees seek court relief

The attorney’s other client was awaiting a decision on an emergency request for a temporary restraining order on Monday night. In a separate case, a judge said ICE had identified Basir Ahmad Ahmadi, held in El Paso, for a possible Afghanistan removal mission tentatively planned for early November.

Khaled Khaleeq, detained in Louisiana, sought emergency court intervention after reports and conversations with other detainees led him to believe he might be sent to Pakistan or Afghanistan. A federal judge denied the request on October 30, and notices seeking reconsideration were later filed.

Diplomacy and safety concerns

The United States suspended operations at its Kabul embassy in 2021 and has no official diplomatic relations with the Taliban government, complicating direct removals to Afghanistan. Many Afghans who came to the United States in recent years arrived after Kabul fell in 2021, through a resettlement effort or by other routes.

A DHS spokesperson said people sent to a third country receive notice and assurances, and that ICE obtains diplomatic assurances from destination countries about deportees’ safety. The spokesperson also said ICE is no longer responsible for people once they leave its custody.

Afghanistan’s foreign ministry spokesperson warned against third countries transferring another country’s nationals in exchange for limited concessions, saying such decisions should respect human dignity and rights. The Pakistani embassy had not responded to CBS News, and the State Department had not replied to its request for comment.

Political response

Sandoval-Moshenberg criticized the plan, arguing that Pakistan could send the families of U.S. allies onward to the Taliban. His comment reflected concerns about what could happen after deportees arrive in Pakistan.