Kaine Statement on Trump-Vance Administration Deporting Dozens, Including Family Member of Afghan Allies, To War-Torn Countries They Have No Connection To

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees and former civil rights attorney, released the following statement in response to the Trump-Vance Administration deporting dozens of people-including at least one person whose family helped the U.S. fight the Taliban-to the Central African Republic (CAR) and other countries in the region, despite none being residents of those countries:

"Over the weekend, the Trump-Vance Administration deported dozens of Afghans, Iranians, and others to the Central African Republic. These people are not citizens of CAR and have no ties to CAR or the region. Most of those deported this weekend had withholding-of-removal orders, meaning that an Immigration Judge had found that they would be persecuted or tortured if they were sent back to their countries of origin. At least one of those deported had family members who helped the U.S. fight the Taliban and would be in danger from the Taliban as a result of his family ties. But instead of acknowledging his family's service to the U.S. or even the basic human dignity of those fleeing persecution, the Trump-Vance Administration loaded them onto planes and dropped them off in instability-wracked countries to which they have zero connection. These third-country deportations are a stain on our country's honor."

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