The US announced on Monday the termination of Temporary Protected Status for Afghanistan, throwing the future of thousands of Afghans into doubt.
The Department of Homeland Security said that “conditions in Afghanistan no longer meet the statutory requirements” for TPS, which provides protection from deportation as well as the ability to work in the US to citizens of countries experiencing conflict or other crises.
It does not in itself provide a pathway to permanent residency, though it may be held concurrently with another status.
TPS for Afghanistan, which was issued in 2022, will expire on May 20 and the termination will be effective from July 12, the Department of Homeland Security said.
“This administration is returning TPS to its original temporary intent,” said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. “Afghanistan has had an improved security situation, and its stabilising economy no longer prevent[s] them from returning to their home country.”
Ms Noem added that the termination “furthers the national interest”, as some recipients were under investigation for fraud as well as threatening public safety and national security.
The plans for the termination of TPS for Afghanistan were announced last month but were made official on Monday. More than 8,200 Afghans currently have TPS, according to the National Immigration Forum.
After having a presence in the country for 20 years, the US withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021. The power vacuum was quickly filled by a resurgent Taliban which took back the capital Kabul and ousted the US-backed government.
Amid the chaotic withdrawal, Afghans who had worked with the US military fled the country out of fear of reprisal. Tens of thousands are in limbo abroad as they wait to be processed for possible immigration to the US.
Since it returned to power, the Taliban have reinstated their strict interpretation of Islamic law. They have essentially erased women and girls from public life, from schools to journalism to public parks. It has also removed protections for minority ethnic and religious groups. The group has even issued regulations on hairstyles and board games, banning chess this week over “gambling concerns”.
In addition, ISIS-Khorasan Province continues to carry out attacks against civilians across the country.
The Taliban takeover sent the already fragile economy into a tailspin, with foreign assets frozen and much-needed aid cut. Though Afghanistan's gross domestic product is estimated by the World Bank to have expanded by 2.5 per cent last year, it remains a deeply impoverished country.
