A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from sending dozens of Afghan immigrants back to Afghanistan, where they could face persecution by the Taliban. The order prevents the government from returning Afghan nationals to the country until Sunday, when the temporary block expires; it does not end the deportations altogether.
Judge Valerie Caproni of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York issued the order but gave limited reasoning and did not address the risks the immigrants might face if returned. The administration has detained dozens of Afghans in recent days as part of its broader immigration enforcement effort.
Under the plan, the United States would fly the immigrants to Pakistan, which would then send them across the border into Afghanistan. The flight was expected to leave Alexandria, Louisiana, early this month, according to officials and court filings.
U.S. law bars deportations to countries where courts have determined that people would most likely face persecution or torture. It was not known whether any of the Afghans slated for deportation had individual court protections.
On Monday, 66 congressional Democrats urged the State Department and Department of Homeland Security to cancel the flight. In their letter, they warned that returnees could be targeted because of suspected support for the U.S. government or criticism of the Taliban, and described the risk as potentially fatal.
Sources: The New York Times World.