US federal court blocks Afghan deportation plan

On Tuesday, a US federal court halted the Trump administration's plan to deport numerous Afghan immigrants back to Afghanistan, according to advocacy groups who warned the move could expose them to grave danger. Judge Valerie Caproni of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York denied the administration's request, blocking the deportation of Afghan nationals to Afghanistan or Pakistan that week.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Deputy Assistant Director Christopher George informed the court that there were no scheduled or confirmed flights to deport Afghans to those countries that week, as reported by US media last week. The group AfghanEvac, which aimed to assist former Afghan allies, reported that over 150 Afghans in the US were set to be deported to Afghanistan via Pakistan as part of President Donald Trump's latest immigration crackdown.

These deportees included relatives of Afghans who had aided the US military in the country before Kabul's fall, as per AfghanEvac's president, Shawn VanDiver. The judge's decision came after the Taliban authorities expressed "serious concern" over the reported deportation plans on Monday. AfghanEvac President Shawn VanDiver stated that the government's failure to provide flights was not an accident, highlighting the efforts of veterans, advocates, 66 members of Congress, and thousands of Americans in stopping the deportation.

The Taliban, which took power in 2021, has promised to protect former allies and their families, but the United Nations has documented instances of extrajudicial killings, detentions, and abuses.