The Trump administration on Monday officially ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghan nationals in the US, stating that improved conditions in Taliban-run Afghanistan no longer justify such humanitarian protections.
The move is set to impact thousands of Afghans who fled the country following the U.S. withdrawal in 2021.
Homeland security secretary Kristi Noem defended the decision, stating in a release: “This administration is returning TPS to its original temporary intent. Afghanistan has had an improved security situation, and its stabilising economy no longer prevents them from returning to their home country.”
She argued that Afghanistan's security and economy had stabilised to a degree that justified rescinding protections. “The number of those in need of assistance has declined to 23.7 million this year, a decrease from the more than 29 million Afghan nationals in need reported the previous year,” she wrote in an analysis published in the Federal Register, as per The Hill.
The protections will formally end on July 12, providing a 60-day window, the legal minimum, before the termination takes effect. More than 14,000 Afghans still remain under TPS, while others have obtained asylum or Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs), reported CBS News.
Critics have condemned the move as reckless and politically driven. Shawn VanDiver, president of the advocacy group #AfghanEvac, said in a statement quoted by The Hill, “This policy change won’t make us safer, it will tear families apart, destabilise lives and shred what’s left of our moral credibility .”
Afghanistan, under Taliban rule, continues to face dire humanitarian conditions. A 2023 US state department report cited widespread food insecurity, systematic gender-based violence, and the persecution of religious minorities and LGBTQ individuals. The United Nations also warned that forced returns are worsening the humanitarian crisis , with “mass returns of its nationals” adding pressure to already stretched aid systems.
Despite these warnings, secretary Noem pointed to increases in Chinese tourism and fewer large-scale conflicts as signs of “peaceful” progress. However, groups such as the Afghan-American Foundation have expressed deep dismay. “The sacrifices Afghan allies made in service of the American mission in Afghanistan were not temporary; the protection we offer them must also be permanent,” said Joseph Azam, chair of the group’s board, in a statement quoted by The Hill.
Further controversy surrounded the announcement’s timing. Homeland security acknowledged that Noem had effectively ended TPS on March 31 but only disclosed it publicly weeks later. CASA Inc., a nonprofit, has already filed a lawsuit claiming the government violated legal procedure by failing to give appropriate notice.
Meanwhile, the decision coincided with the US welcoming a group of white South African refugees, prompting accusations of racial bias. US President Trump claimed these refugees, primarily Afrikaners, faced “genocide,” though South African courts have dismissed such claims.
The administration is also reportedly considering exemptions for Christian Afghans amid lobbying from faith-based groups, according to Politico.
Immigration advocates argue the TPS rollback is part of a broader push by the Trump administration to reduce protections for vulnerable groups. As per CBS News, TPS protections for Venezuelans and Haitians have also come under threat.
Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, head of Global Refuge, called the Afghan decision “a morally indefensible betrayal of allies” and warned it “would be an utterly unconscionable stain on our nation's reputation,” Axios reported.
The move is set to impact thousands of Afghans who fled the country following the U.S. withdrawal in 2021.
Homeland security secretary Kristi Noem defended the decision, stating in a release: “This administration is returning TPS to its original temporary intent. Afghanistan has had an improved security situation, and its stabilising economy no longer prevents them from returning to their home country.”
She argued that Afghanistan's security and economy had stabilised to a degree that justified rescinding protections. “The number of those in need of assistance has declined to 23.7 million this year, a decrease from the more than 29 million Afghan nationals in need reported the previous year,” she wrote in an analysis published in the Federal Register, as per The Hill.
The protections will formally end on July 12, providing a 60-day window, the legal minimum, before the termination takes effect. More than 14,000 Afghans still remain under TPS, while others have obtained asylum or Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs), reported CBS News.
Critics have condemned the move as reckless and politically driven. Shawn VanDiver, president of the advocacy group #AfghanEvac, said in a statement quoted by The Hill, “This policy change won’t make us safer, it will tear families apart, destabilise lives and shred what’s left of our moral credibility .”
Afghanistan, under Taliban rule, continues to face dire humanitarian conditions. A 2023 US state department report cited widespread food insecurity, systematic gender-based violence, and the persecution of religious minorities and LGBTQ individuals. The United Nations also warned that forced returns are worsening the humanitarian crisis , with “mass returns of its nationals” adding pressure to already stretched aid systems.
Despite these warnings, secretary Noem pointed to increases in Chinese tourism and fewer large-scale conflicts as signs of “peaceful” progress. However, groups such as the Afghan-American Foundation have expressed deep dismay. “The sacrifices Afghan allies made in service of the American mission in Afghanistan were not temporary; the protection we offer them must also be permanent,” said Joseph Azam, chair of the group’s board, in a statement quoted by The Hill.
Further controversy surrounded the announcement’s timing. Homeland security acknowledged that Noem had effectively ended TPS on March 31 but only disclosed it publicly weeks later. CASA Inc., a nonprofit, has already filed a lawsuit claiming the government violated legal procedure by failing to give appropriate notice.
Meanwhile, the decision coincided with the US welcoming a group of white South African refugees, prompting accusations of racial bias. US President Trump claimed these refugees, primarily Afrikaners, faced “genocide,” though South African courts have dismissed such claims.
The administration is also reportedly considering exemptions for Christian Afghans amid lobbying from faith-based groups, according to Politico.
Immigration advocates argue the TPS rollback is part of a broader push by the Trump administration to reduce protections for vulnerable groups. As per CBS News, TPS protections for Venezuelans and Haitians have also come under threat.
Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, head of Global Refuge, called the Afghan decision “a morally indefensible betrayal of allies” and warned it “would be an utterly unconscionable stain on our nation's reputation,” Axios reported.
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