Afghanistan Times
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KABUL – In a move already drawing sharp criticism and likely legal challenges, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Monday announced the end of deportation protections for approximately 9,000 Afghan nationals living in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
These individuals were among the roughly 80,000 Afghans evacuated to the U.S. following the 2022 withdrawal from Afghanistan, many of whom had worked alongside American forces against the Taliban. The Biden administration granted TPS to part of this group, citing dire security and humanitarian conditions in Afghanistan.
That designation is now set to expire on May 20, with deportation protections officially lifting on July 12, Noem confirmed in a statement.
“This administration is returning TPS to its original temporary intent,” Noem said. “Afghanistan has had an improved security situation, and its stabilizing economy no longer prevent[s] them from returning.”
However, the U.S. State Department still maintains its highest travel warning—Level 4—against visiting Afghanistan, and the Taliban remain in control of the government. Critics argue the conditions remain too dangerous for safe returns.
The move comes as the Trump administration fast-tracks asylum designations for white South African refugees, specifically Afrikaners, who arrived in Virginia Monday. Trump signed an executive order in February granting them refugee status, calling them “victims of unjust racial discrimination” following land reform laws in South Africa.
DHS added that Noem’s decision was also influenced by a determination that allowing Afghan nationals to remain is “contrary to the national interest of the United States.” Noem has similarly moved to end TPS for Venezuelans and Haitians, actions that have faced court challenges.
The Biden-era refugee resettlement infrastructure remains suspended, following a Trump administration order in January that also defied a district court’s mandate to restore refugee services.
