Proposed deportation flights could start from Monday, raising concerns refugees may be returned to Afghanistan
A general view of a US State Department sign outside the US State Department building in Washington, DC. SOURCE: REUTERS
The Trump administration is preparing to deport Afghan refugees to Pakistan as early as Monday, despite concerns that they could subsequently be returned to Afghanistan under Taliban rule, media reports said Friday.
The proposed deportation flight has not been publicly announced, but rights advocates and families of detainees said it could take place in the coming days, according to NBC News.
The reported plans come amid continued uncertainty surrounding Afghan refugees housed at Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar, where the US government has repeatedly extended deadlines for removing residents.
The State Department initially announced that everyone would be removed from the facility by March 31, but the deadline was subsequently extended to Sept. 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 Camp As Sayliyah to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where an Ebola outbreak was reported.
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The possibility of deportation to Pakistan has raised concerns among rights advocates and detainees’ families about the refugees’ safety and the risk of their eventual return to Afghanistan.
AfghanEvac, an organisation advocating for Afghan refugees, criticised the administration’s reported deportation plans in a statement Friday.
The group accused the administration of preparing the flight while public attention was focused on the upcoming US midterm elections, “hoping no one is watching.”
“The government won’t say where these flights land, because it knows what happens to the people on them when they do,” the outlet quoted AfghanEvac as saying.
“A government confident in what it is doing does not hide it,” the organisation added.
The reported flight would come after months of uncertainty over the future of Afghan refugees at the Qatar facility, as the administration continues considering arrangements for their removal.
The destination and timing of the proposed flight have not been officially confirmed.
