The United States plans to deport more than 150 Afghan immigrants back to Afghanistan through Pakistan in the coming days, according to multiple U.S. officials cited in media reports on Friday. The move, part of the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration enforcement measures, has raised concerns among advocacy groups about the safety of those being returned.

The deportations are expected to begin as early as Monday. The affected individuals include relatives of Afghans who supported U.S. military operations before the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in August 2021. Many of these individuals had received special immigrant visas or other protections following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Due to restrictions on direct deportations to Afghanistan, Pakistani authorities will oversee the transfer of deported Afghans into Afghan territory. Earlier this year, Pakistan intensified efforts to detain Afghan nationals without valid visas as part of a long-term repatriation strategy, which has resulted in the return of millions of Afghanistan refugees over recent years. The border between Pakistan and Afghanistan has seen ongoing tensions since the Taliban assumed power, with conflict erupting in late 2025 and again early this year, culminating in Pakistan characterizing the situation as “an open war.” Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of providing shelter to militants responsible for attacks within Pakistani territory, a charge denied by the Taliban government.

Afghan Taliban officials were not available for comment, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security declined to respond to inquiries.

Advocacy groups have sharply criticized the planned deportations. Shawn VanDiver, president of AfghanEvac, an organization assisting former Afghan allies of U.S. forces, expressed alarm that the deportations were scheduled to coincide with the U.S. midterm elections on Tuesday. He highlighted that some of the deportees are family members of Afghan nationals who worked alongside American forces and who face potential targeting by the Taliban.

Though the Taliban government had previously announced a general amnesty for Afghans who served Western-backed entities, concerns persist about the risks deportees may face. VanDiver warned that the danger awaiting these individuals remains significant regardless of their circumstances in the United States.

The deportations underscore ongoing challenges in managing the fate of Afghan immigrants caught between tightened immigration policies and uncertain security conditions in their home country.