Over 9,000 Afghans in the US are facing potential deportation from May 20 after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that their Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will not be renewed. TPS is a government protection for people from countries experiencing war or natural disasters; it shields them from deportation and grants them work authorizations.
The Biden administration had empowered thousands of Afghans, fleeing from Taliban rule in 2022, with TPS. This protection was extended for Afghans in 2023 amid the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan. But now they face potential deportation.
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DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said Afghanistan no longer continues to meet the statutory requirements for its TPS designation, thus the termination of TPS for Afghans. She highlighted that the decision was based on a review from US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), as well as consultation between USCIS and the Department of State.
Afghans Unsafe in Afghanistan
However, a military veteran Shawn VanDriver, firmly rejected the Trump administration’s claims that conditions in Afghanistan have changed. He said conditions on the ground haven’t improved, and have worsened. “Afghans who were invited here, who built lives here, and are now being told they don’t matter – it’s cruel, it’s chaotic, and it undermines everything America claimed to stand for when we promised not to leave our allies behind.”
