The Biden administration brought in around 76,000 Afghans following the U.S. military's disastrous withdrawal from the country in 2021.
The Trump administration ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for all Afghan refugees on Monday, paving the way for the deportation of tens of thousands of Afghans living in the United States.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that improving conditions in Afghanistan have made it possible for the refugees to return home. The Biden administration brought in around 76,000 Afghans following the U.S. military’s disastrous withdrawal from the country in 2021 under the orders of President Joe Biden. Most of the Afghan refugees were resettled in Texas, California, and Virginia.
“This administration is returning TPS to its original temporary intent,” Noem said. “We’ve reviewed the conditions in Afghanistan with our interagency partners, and they do not meet the requirements for a TPS designation. Afghanistan has had an improved security situation, and its stabilizing economy no longer prevent them from returning to their home country.”
Following the Trump administration’s move, deportation protections for Afghans will expire in 60 days, which is the minimum time allowed by law after the notice is filed.
Between 2010 and 2022, the Afghan population in the United States skyrocketed from 54,000 to 195,000. It’s unclear how many of those nearly 200,000 Afghans received legal permanent residency or citizenship in the United States. In 2006, the United States started the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program, which sought to help Afghan and Iraqi translators who helped the U.S. military receive their green cards. The federal government expanded the SIV program in 2009 to apply to any Afghan national who was employed by the U.S. government. --->READ MORE HERE
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| Gemunu Amarasinghe/AP |
The move follows the Trump administration’s decision last month to not renew such protections for Afghans residing in the U.S.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced on Monday that the U.S. will terminate the temporary protected status program for Afghanistan, a move that could lead to the deportation of over 9,000 Afghans residing in the country.
Noem said in a statement that the conditions in Afghanistan have improved sufficiently to warrant the program’s termination. Afghans’ temporary protected status will expire on May 20 and the elimination of the program will take effect on July 12.
“This administration is returning TPS to its original temporary intent,” Noem said. “We’ve reviewed the conditions in Afghanistan with our interagency partners, and they do not meet the requirements for a TPS designation.”
Noem also claimed that the termination aligns with the Trump administration’s efforts to root out fraud in the immigration system.
“The termination furthers the national interest as DHS records indicate that there are recipients who have been under investigation for fraud and threatening our public safety and national security,” Noem said.
The TPS program provides temporary legal status and work authorization to nationals from countries experiencing armed conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary conditions. Former President Joe Biden designated Afghanistan for TPS following the Taliban’s takeover and the U.S. withdrawal from the country in 2021, which led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of Afghans to the U.S., many under temporary “parole” status. --->READ MORE HERE
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