Trump administration advances Afghan deportation plans

Deportation plans move forward

The Trump administration is proceeding with plans to send some Afghan refugees to Afghanistan. The effort seeks to get around restrictions on those removals and would effectively deport the people affected. It is moving ahead despite concerns that returnees could be targeted by the Taliban after arriving in Afghanistan.

More than 150 people are expected to be deported under the planned action. That number describes the broader group expected to face removal, while the Louisiana figure concerns Afghan immigrants who have already been detained. The terms “refugees” and “immigrants” describe the affected groups differently and should not be treated as interchangeable.

The planned removals would constitute one of the largest single deportation actions involving the group. The central safety concern is what the deportees could face after being returned to a country controlled by the Taliban.

Louisiana connection

Dozens of Afghan immigrants have been detained in Louisiana as the administration advances the plan. Those detentions give the national immigration action a direct Louisiana connection, although the development is not tied to a Louisiana election, candidate contest or ballot question.

Detention and deportation are separate steps: detention places a person in government custody, while deportation removes that person from the United States. The next steps concern whether the administration carries out the removals and how it addresses restrictions on sending Afghan refugees to Afghanistan. The administration’s handling of those restrictions will determine how the planned deportations proceed.