Afghan Evac says at least 30 Afghan asylum seekers to be deported from US
The Afghan refugee advocacy group in the United States says US Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to transfer at least 30 Afghan asylum seekers from a detention centre in Pennsylvania to Louisiana, a move it says would pave the way for their deportation.
Shawn VanDiver, president of Afghan Evac, said on Friday, Oct. 24, that the asylum seekers had been told they would be deported from the United States in early November. He added that they still did not know which country they would be sent to.
According to VanDiver, US immigration authorities informed the asylum seekers of the decision on Monday at the Pennsylvania detention centre. He said Afghan Evac had received similar reports from six states: Washington, New Mexico, Louisiana, Georgia, Texas and Pennsylvania.
The Afghan Evac president also said the detention centre’s shop had been closed, calling it a sign that the asylum seekers may be deported. However, it remains unclear which country US immigration authorities will transfer them to.
The United States has previously reached agreements with a number of African countries to deport migrants. In September, at least two groups of Afghan asylum seekers, including 18 people, were deported from the United States to Central Africa and Guyana in southern Africa.
