Trump administration ends temporary protected status for thousands of Afghans amid deportation push

The Trump administration is ending the protected status for thousands of Afghans who entered the U.S. after its chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 under the Biden administration. 

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security doesn’t plan to renew Afghans’ Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which lasts six to 18 months and applies to people from countries that are war-torn or have a natural disaster or some other event that makes returning dangerous. 

The U.S. military evacuated more than 82,000 Afghans from the country when the U.S. withdrew in 2021, and the Taliban took over. 

TALIBAN LEADER SAYS ‘NO NEED’ FOR LAWS FROM THE WEST IN AFGHANISTAN: ‘WE WILL CREATE OUR OWN LAWS’

Thousands of Cameroonians are also expected to lose their status. 

“At least 60 days before a TPS designation expires, the Secretary, after consultation with appropriate U.S. Government agencies, is required to review the conditions in a country designated for TPS to determine whether the conditions supporting the designation continue to be met, and, if so, the length of an extension of the designation,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told FOx News Digital. “If the Secretary determines that the country no longer meets the statutory conditions for designation, she must terminate the designation.”

She added, “The Secretary determined that Afghanistan no longer continues to meet the statutory requirements for its TPS designation and so she terminated TPS for Afghanistan.” 

McLaughlin said that the decision was “based on a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) review of the conditions in Afghanistan. As part of its review process, USCIS consulted with the Department of State.”

Shawn VanDriver, who served in the military and is president of #AfghanEvac, disagreed with the administration’s assessment on Afghanistan. 

COURT TELLS TRUMP ADMIN TO ‘FACILITATE’ RETURN OF DEPORTED MARYLAND IMMIGRANT

“The conditions on the ground haven’t improved — they’ve worsened,” he told NPR. “Afghans who were invited here, who built lives here, are now being told they don’t matter. It’s cruel, it’s chaotic, and it undermines everything America claimed to stand for when we promised not to leave our allies behind.”

More than 14,000 Afghans and 7,000 Cameroonians are expected to lose their TPS protections. 

The Biden administration renewed TPS protections for Afghans in 2023. 

Afghan TPS protections end in May and Cameroonian protections in June. At that time, foreign nationals will be eligible for deportation. 

HOUSE GOP RELEASES SCATHING REPORT ON BIDEN’S WITHDRAWAL FROM AFGHANISTAN

Fox News Digital has reached out to DPS and the White House for comment. 

Last month, a judge delayed a Trump administration effort to end TPS protections for Venezuelans. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Both Afghanistan and Venezuela are listed by the U.S. State Department as “Level 4: Do Not Travel” because of the risk of terrorism, unlawful detention, civil unrest and kidnapping. 

Cameroon is listed as “Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution” due to the risk of terrorism, kidnapping and armed violence. 

Reuters contributed to this report.