According to reports, most of the illegals self-deported and returned to their homeland before the deadline to avoid repercussions.
An estimated 1.7 million Afghans were living in Pakistan illegally before the authorities announced a Nov. 1, 2023, ultimatum for illegals to leave or face arrest, but a steady stream of illegals who missed it are continuing to cross back.
"Since the initial peak around Nov. 1, the number of individuals crossing these official border points have consistently decreased but remains higher than pre-Sept. 15th," said the United Nations Migration Agency, also known as the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The UN has complained returning Afghans to their home country puts them "at risk of persecution" by the Taliban but the Pakistan government explained they resorted to this measure due to worsening security concerns in its regions and pressure on its struggling economy. "Some Afghans forced to return may be at risk of persecution, arbitrary arrest and detention and/or torture or ill-treatment," the UN's Afghan mission said in a report.
Moreover, the busiest border crossing between the two countries remained closed. A border official, who requested to be anonymous, said that more than 400 trucks were stranded on the Pakistan side of the Torkham crossing. The row centers on demands for drivers from both sides to have visas and passports as Pakistan cracks down on cross-border movements. Most Afghans often lack proper identification.
Reports also indicated that some of the ejected Afghans were flown to Western countries such as the United Kingdom. The British government was shouldering their hotel bills in Pakistan but began chartering flights to bring them to Britain in response to the Pakistani deportation order.
For the past 40 years, the Afghans have been escaping the conflict since the Taliban ousted the U.S.-backed government and imposed its harsh interpretation of Islamic law. Some Afghans crossing into Afghanistan as a result of Islamabad's eviction scheme were entering the country for the first time, having lived their whole lives in Pakistan.
25 GOP governors slam Biden administration's continued attacks on Texas border security effort
Meanwhile, in an X post by the National Pulse, which shared the link to the news article, several followers have commented how the U.S. should also be as "firm" as Pakistan in the "immigration policies" to protect national security and uplift its nosediving economy.
Pakistan has removed half a million Afghans from its territory in just four months, with most of them self-deporting after the government...
Read more:https://t.co/cV7N6cnUrS
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— The National Pulse (@TheNatPulse) January 25, 2024
"This is what the USA should be doing," one user said. "Imagine a bunch of id*ots in Washington, DC @whitehouse @potus @TheDemocrats @presssec thinking we are the greatest nation on earth and at the same time tossing their hands in the air like we are incapable of stopping illegal entry."
In a separate Tweet related to the migrant crisis, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster expressed his support of Texas' constitutional right to self-defense in response to the Biden Administration's continued attacks on their border security effort. The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in a victory for Biden in the ongoing dispute with Texas over whether Border Patrol has the legal authority to cut concertina wire installed by Texas on the banks of the Rio Grande. The day after the ruling, the Department of Homeland Security demanded Texas give it "full access" to the border by Jan. 26.
McMaster joined 24 other Republican governors in issuing a joint statement in full support of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s installation of razor wire along the U.S.-Mexico border.
I'm proud to stand with 24 other fellow Republican governors today in support of Texas' constitutional right to self-defense in response to the Biden Administration's continued attacks on their border security effort: pic.twitter.com/oTqmwDPJfQ
— Gov. Henry McMaster (@henrymcmaster) January 25, 2024
"President Joe Biden and his administration have left Americans and our country completely vulnerable to unprecedented illegal immigration pouring across the Southern border," the statement read. "Instead of upholding the rule of law and securing the border, the Biden administration has attacked and sued Texas for stepping up to protect American citizens from historic levels of illegal immigrants, deadly drugs like fentanyl and terrorists entering our country."
According to the document, the governors stand in solidarity with Abbott and the State of Texas in utilizing every tool and strategy, including razor wire fences, to secure the border. “We do it in part because the Biden administration is refusing to enforce immigration laws already on the books and is illegally allowing mass parole across America of migrants who entered our country illegally," it further included. (Related: Supreme Court says federal government can REMOVE RAZOR WIRE Texas installed along the border… but Gov. Abbott DEFIES the order.)
He also pointed out that the Constitution authors made it clear that states have a right to self-defense under Article 4, Section 4 and Article 1, Section 10 Clause 3.
Check out Migrants.news for more stories related to immigration policies in the U.S. and other countries.
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