The US Department of Homeland Security has announced that the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program for Afghans will end on May 20, with the decision set to take effect by July 12.

This program, introduced after the fall of the previous Afghan government in 2021, had granted thousands of Afghans temporary residency, work permits, and protection from deportation. Now, US officials claim that conditions in Afghanistan have improved, eliminating the need for continued temporary protection.

The US Department of Homeland Security stated: “Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem today announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status for Afghanistan. The TPS designation for the country expires on May 20, 2025, and the termination will be effective on July 12, 2025."

Mohammad Jamal Muslim, a migrant rights activist, said: “The forced migrations of the past three years across continents and neighboring countries have been bitter days endured by our people.”

The head of the Afghan Evac organization, which facilitates the resettlement of Afghans in the US, said that this decision will strip over 11,000 Afghans who had supported US forces of their legal protection.

He added that the decision is not based on facts but rather driven by politics.

Shawn VanDiver, president of Afghan Evac, said: “This impacts anybody who's here in the United States and has proactively applied for temporary protected status and that's the only status that they have. It shouldn't impact you if you have an asylum case in, it shouldn't impact you if you have an SIV case in, you're awaiting adjudication, shouldn't impact you if you have a pending immigration case before the courts, or if you're on parole."

This decision has also drawn criticism from migrant rights activists.

Ali Reza Karimi, a migrant rights activist, stated: “A serious decision regarding the return of refugees should also be made by the United Nations office and NGOs working in refugee-related matters.”

Mohammad Khan Talebi Mohammadzai, another activist, said: “The decision by the US Secretary of Homeland Security concerning migrants in the country is concerning and goes against established legal norms.”

Previously, the US Supreme Court had ordered that, starting from May 12, the US government must officially resume processing Afghan asylum cases.