A New Mexico federal judge on Monday paused the deportation of an Afghan detainee held at Camp East Montana. Reports said the Trump administration is preparing to deport Afghans detained in the United States to Afghanistan through Pakistan this week. Advocacy groups said such deportations could put the Afghans' lives at risk, because those sent back could face retaliation from the Taliban, which has governed Afghanistan since 2021.
The detainee, Sardar Akbari, 31, had been held for almost two years at the Torrance County Detention Facility in Estancia, New Mexico, before he was moved to El Paso on Oct. 27. Court documents show the transfer was for staging ahead of his final removal order.
According to New Mexico district court records, Akbari fled Afghanistan after the Taliban beat him while searching for his wife, whom they targeted because of her past service with the Afghan military. Akbari said he was robbed and assaulted in Peru and Mexico before crossing into South Texas on Dec. 28, 2024, and asking for asylum.
Rebecca Sheff, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU of New Mexico, said, "We believe this client is at high risk of being put on a plane to Pakistan."