Peters Urges Trump Admin to Cancel Mass Deportation Flights to Afghanistan and Iran

San Diego, CA. - Today, U.S. Representative Scott Peters (CA-50) led 65 bicameral Members of Congress on a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, demanding the immediate cancellation of any deportation flights carrying Afghans and Iranians, whether sent directly or through another country.

This letter comes after reports that over 150 Afghans could be deported to Pakistan in the coming days, which would constitute one of the largest single expulsions of Afghans ever. San Diego has served as a primary hub for incoming Afghan refugees, with nearly 5,000 resettling in the region. The Members also expressed concern over another flight with a mass deportation of Iranians - the first since the U.S. launched its military conflict against Iran- and that relatives of Afghans who helped American troops could be among those on board.

"Our nation made a promise to stand by Afghans who risked their lives and their families' safety to stand by U.S. service members," the Members wrote, adding that deporting them "is a violation of that promise and our moral obligations to the Afghan community who stood alongside our troops."

The Members emphasized the well-documented danger awaiting deportees. The State Department lists Afghanistan as a Level 4 "Do Not Travel" country, and for those who aided U.S. forces, "their assistance to U.S. troops puts a target on these individuals and their families to this day." They detail the torture, detention, and extrajudicial killing of dissidents and LGBTQ persons, as well as the severe repression of women - noting that women and LGBTQ refugees could be on the flight.

The Members also raised alarm over reports that Iranians, including women, Christian converts, and pro-democracy activists, may be deported to Iran, where they face imprisonment, torture, and a possible death sentence. "Sending people who sought protection from the Islamic Republic of Iran back to a war zone and a repressive regime is unconscionable," they wrote. They cited how even President Trump has warned about the dangers faced by pro-democracy and anti-government protesters in Iran.

The Members stressed that routing a flight through a third country does not change U.S. obligations, and urged the Trump Administration to warn Pakistan that the U.S. will not accept its participation in sending deportees onward to the Taliban.

These individuals "came to the U.S. because they believed in its promise of democracy, religious freedom, and liberty," the Members concluded, and "we must uphold those values and commitments, not abandon people to autocratic regimes."

"Sixty-six members of Congress, from both chambers, needed less than 24 hours to say what every veteran of the Afghanistan war already knows: you don't hand the people who stood with our troops to the Taliban. When even the Taliban are voicing 'serious concern' about your deportation plan, you've lost the moral argument and the national security one. This flight isn't immigration enforcement. It's a betrayal with a boarding pass, and the whole world is watching whether America keeps its word. We are grateful to Rep. Peters for leading. Secretary Rubio and Secretary Mullin, ground this plane," said Shawn VanDiver, U.S. Navy veteran and President and Founder of #AfghanEvac.

"Having effectively dismantled our protection system, this administration is set to deport vulnerable people back to Afghanistan and Iran, in violation of our human rights commitments and our nation's values," said Sarah Mehta, deputy director of immigration policy at the ACLU. "So many of these men and women never had a meaningful opportunity to defend their claims and are now the casualties of this administration's assault on asylum. We thank Congressman Peters for his leadership and all the members standing against these unconscionable deportations back to persecution, torture, or even death."

The Members requested an immediate response. Read the full letter here.

Background:

San Diego has served as a primary hub for incoming Afghan refugees, and Rep. Peters has been a staunch advocate for the safe relocation, protection, and legal adjustment of Afghan wartime allies who served alongside U.S. forces. He is a cosponsor of the Enduring Welcome Act to codify the Office of the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE) within the State Department, and the Afghan Adjustment Act to help settle Afghans and their families who supported U.S. forces.

In September, Rep. Peters led a Congressional delegation on a letter to the Trump Administration urging them to reunite the families of U.S. service members with their loved ones stranded overseas, and to reconnect Afghans with immediate family already lawfully in the U.S. In July, he hosted a virtual town hall with Afghan allies stranded at the Camp As Sayliyah facility in Doha. And in February, Rep. Peters attended a shadow hearing where he highlighted the consequences of the Trump administration's decisions to freeze the U.S. refugee admissions program and eliminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghans.

###