trump-ends-afghan-protected-status-migrants-face-expulsion

The Donald Trump administration has announced that it will not extend the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) granted to thousands of Afghan migrants legally residing in the United States, putting them at risk of deportation as early as next month.

 

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed on Friday that it will terminate the TPS for Afghans — a designation which had enabled them to live and work legally in the country following the Taliban's return to power.

 

The decision is expected to affect nearly 14,600 Afghans who sought refuge in the US after the fall of Kabul in 2021. The Biden administration had granted TPS to Afghan nationals in 2022, extending the status in 2023.

 

The status shields migrants from deportation while their home countries remain unsafe due to armed conflict, natural disasters or extraordinary circumstances.

 

However, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin stated that Secretary Kristi Noem, following a review of updated assessments by immigration authorities and consultations with the State Department, had concluded that Afghanistan “no longer meets the statutory requirements” for TPS.

 

The administration’s move leaves the future of thousands of Afghans uncertain. The US does not recognise the Taliban-led government and has no direct flights to Afghanistan, raising logistical and diplomatic challenges for deportation.

 

In such cases, deportees are typically returned to the country of last departure. For many Afghan migrants, this means being deported to Pakistan — the country through which they fled during the crisis.

 

The development has drawn concern from rights groups and humanitarian agencies. Afghanistan continues to face a deepening economic collapse, widespread poverty, and humanitarian distress under Taliban rule.

 

“If we want to help the Afghan people escape the vicious cycle of poverty and suffering, we must continue to have the means to address urgent needs while simultaneously laying the groundwork for long-term resilience and stability,” said Indrika Ratwatte, the UN’s resident and humanitarian coordinator in Afghanistan.