White House and DHS Expand Protections for Afghan Refugees

Afghan refugees from Faryab, Afghanistan holding their children (Flickr)

The White House granted protective status to thousands of refugees and immigrants from Afghanistan on March 16, according to the Washington Post. Following the Taliban takeover of Kabul in 2021, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) deemed it too dangerous to deport refugees. DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said, “This TPS designation will help to protect Afghan nationals who have already been living in the United States from returning to unsafe conditions.”  

After Kabul was evacuated in August 2021, more than 70,000 Afghan refugees came to the United States. According to Al Jazeera, U.S. military bases and other designated safe havens temporarily resettled the refugees, and communities around the country have started to integrate these refugees.

The U.S. government extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to the 72,500 refugees who came to the United States under “temporary parole” and the 2,000 Afghans who came under student, work, and tourist visas but can no longer return to Afghanistan. Those granted temporary or humanitarian parole may stay in the United States for up to two years. However, this status does not grant refugees a pathway to citizenship or permanent residency, per Al Jazeera. As the government examines and evaluates their position, those who qualify for TPS can work and live legally in the country.

TPS is only a temporary solution. Per CBS News, of the over 70,000 accepted refugees, almost 37,000 have a clear path to U.S. citizenship through the Special Immigrant Visa program. The government grants this visa to refugees with family members who have assisted the United States during the 20-year conflict in Afghanistan. However, according to CBS News, the remaining 36,000 refugees have no other option unless Congress passes new legislation. 

The addition of Afghanistan to the TPS program has received mixed reactions. According to the Washington Post, critics regard the expansion of TPS to to Myanmar and Ukraine– as well as the renewal of TPS for El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, and Yemen– as an abuse of power that undermines the policy’s “temporary” intent.

However, according to the Washington Post, supporters applauded the Biden administration’s efforts to shield the refugees from deportation back to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. While expanding TPS is popular among immigration advocacy groups, many are calling on Congress to pass a bill that would pave a way to permanent residency. Per the Philadelphia Inquirer, immigration advocates such as Sunil Varghese, Policy Director at International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), said on Twitter, “IRAP welcomes this effort to protect Afghans from danger, but TPS is by definition temporary…Congress should pass the #AfghanAdjustmentAct to ensure evacuated Afghans have a permanent pathway to safety in the U.S.”