Afghans Face Removal to Pakistan and Threat of Secondary Deportation to Afghanistan
Detained Afghans face removal to Pakistan, perhaps as early as Monday, according to news outlets. Once in Pakistan, they may face secondary deportation to Afghanistan.
As NBC writes, "Among those facing deportation are relatives of Afghans who worked with the U.S. military in its 20-year war against the Taliban, which is now back in power."
No need to worry, though. The US has been arguing that Afghanistan is safe for more than a year. So it must be true. And wouldn't Pakistan feel more like home for Afghans than removal to Guyana (where it has sent Afghans before)?
I am, once more, reminded of these words from Jason Houser, former chief of staff for ICE and former Naval Intelligence Officer in Afghanistan who stated that our Afghan partners were "essential to the American mission."
They interpreted conversations in which a misunderstood word could get someone killed. They warned us about threats we could not see. They entered villages ahead of us, stood beside American service members under fire and placed their families at risk.
We owe them our lives, and we told them that the United States does not abandon its friends. ...
That promise has been broken.
It's a message that surely will not be lost on the locals we pressure for help in future military conflicts. Why stick one's neck out for a country that will utterly abandon you?
