WASHINGTON: The Trump administration is preparing to deport Afghan refugees to Pakistan as early as Monday, despite concerns that they could subsequently be sent back to Afghanistan, where the Taliban remain in power, media reports said Friday.
The proposed deportation flight has not been publicly announced. However, rights advocates and families of detainees have expressed concern that the transfer could take place in the coming days, according to NBC News.
Uncertainty Over Qatar Facility
The reported plans come amid continued uncertainty over the future of Afghan refugees housed at Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar.
The US State Department initially announced that all residents would be removed from the facility by March 31. The deadline was later extended to September 30.
In September, the Trump administration postponed the camp’s closure by another nine months, according to the report.
Earlier this year, the administration also considered transferring Afghan refugees from the Qatar facility to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where an Ebola outbreak had been reported.
Rights Groups Raise Concerns
The possibility of deporting Afghan refugees to Pakistan has prompted concerns among rights advocates and the families of detainees about their safety and the risk of eventual return to Afghanistan.
AfghanEvac, an organisation that advocates for Afghan refugees, criticised the administration’s reported plans in a statement issued Friday.
The group accused the administration of preparing the flight while public attention was focused on the upcoming US midterm elections, suggesting officials hoped the move would escape scrutiny.
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“The government won’t say where these flights land, because it knows what happens to the people on them when they do,” NBC News quoted AfghanEvac as saying.
“A government confident in what it is doing does not hide it,” the organisation added.
Flight Details Remain Unclear
The reported deportation plan comes after months of uncertainty over the future of Afghan refugees at the Qatar facility, as the US administration continues to consider arrangements for their removal.
The proposed transfer has raised questions about the refugees’ legal status, their protection after arrival in Pakistan and the possibility of their eventual return to Afghanistan.
However, neither the destination nor the timing of the reported flight has been officially confirmed. The US administration has not publicly announced the proposed deportation, leaving the refugees and their families facing continued uncertainty.
