WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump´s administration moved on Monday to end legal protections that temporarily shielded Afghans from being deported, citing an improved security situation in the Taliban-ruled country.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said the temporary protected status (TPS) designation for Afghanistan would expire on May 20 and the termination would take effect on July 12.
“We´ve reviewed the conditions in Afghanistan with our interagency partners, and they do not meet the requirements for a TPS designation,” Noem said in a statement. “Afghanistan has had an improved security situation, and its stabilizing economy no longer prevent them from returning to their home country.”
Federal law permits the government to grant TPS to foreign citizens who cannot safely return home because of war, natural disasters or other “extraordinary” conditions. Former Democratic president Joe Biden extended TPS protections for nationals of several countries just days before Trump returned to the White House in January.
Since taking office, Trump has moved to strip TPS protections from citizens of several countries including Haiti and Venezuela, as part of his broader crackdown on immigration. According to the non-profit organization AfghanEvac, some 11,000 Afghans are currently covered by TPS in the United States.
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