USCIRF Alarmed by Repatriation of Afghan Refugees

USCIRF Alarmed by Repatriation of Afghan Refugees

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), is alarmed by the Pakistani government’s rapid and ongoing repatriation of Afghan refugees to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. This is the latest phase in a repatriation process that began in October 2023, and since March 2025 alone, Pakistan has repatriated an estimated 80,000 Afghans. Recently, Pakistan extended its deadline for undocumented Afghans to leave the country by April 30, including those seeking resettlement to the United States.

“The situation in Afghanistan remains dire for those who do not share the Taliban’s strict interpretation of Islam, including Christians, Shi’a Hazara, Ahmadiyya Muslims, and Sikhs,” said USCIRF Chair Stephen Schneck. “We are deeply concerned that religious minority communities will be in grave danger, especially women and girls, as Taliban officials seek retaliation against Afghans returned by the Pakistani government’s forced and accelerated repatriation efforts.” 

Following the 2021 Taliban takeover, tens of thousands of Afghans fled persecution. In 2022, the United States granted a number of Afghans temporary protective status (TPS), which provides protection for these individuals from being returned to Afghanistan as conditions prevent them from returning safely. USCIRF is concerned by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s announcement to not extend TPS for Afghans residing in the United States, currently set to expire on May 20.

In addition to those individuals that fled, the small number of religious minorities that remain in Afghanistan have been forced to practice their faith in secret, for fear of retribution. At particular risk are Afghan Christians and other converts from Islam, whom the Taliban deem “apostates,” and therefore punishable by death. Afghanistan’s Shi’a Hazara community also faces ongoing persecution and violent attacks by the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K).  

"The Taliban regime has created terrible circumstances that put Afghan religious minorities at risk of severe persecution, including corporal punishment and arbitrary detention,” said USCIRF Vice Chair Meir Soloveichik. “We urge the administration to impose targeted sanctions on Taliban officials responsible for religious freedom violations.”  

In March 2025, USCIRF held a hearing on religious freedom conditions in Afghanistan. In its 2025 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that U.S. Department of State designate Afghanistan and Pakistan as “Countries of Particular Concern,” or CPCs, for engaging in systematic, egregious, and ongoing violations of religious freedom. 

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan legislative branch agency established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].