A group of 66 members of the US Congress has urged the administration of President Donald Trump to halt plans for the mass deportation of more than 150 Afghan nationals.
The lawmakers sent a letter to the US government on Monday, November 2, warning of the potential consequences of returning these individuals to Afghanistan.
In the letter addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, they said the Afghans could face retaliation from the Taliban because of their cooperation with the US government or their criticism of the group.
“Our country promised Afghans who risked their own security and that of their families to stand alongside American service members that we would never abandon them,” the letter said.
According to reports, the Afghan nationals are expected to be transferred from detention facilities in Louisiana to Pakistan.
Officials from the US Department of Homeland Security have also told a court in documents submitted to it that they ultimately intend to return some of the individuals to Afghanistan.
