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On May 12, 2025, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it will officially terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghanistan, effective July 14, 2025. This move threatens the legal stability and safety of over 9,000 Afghan nationals currently living in the United States, many of whom arrived following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the subsequent return of Taliban rule.
A Questionable Justification
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem cited improvements in Afghanistan’s economy and security landscape as the basis for the decision, stating that “conditions no longer meet the statutory requirements for TPS.” She also noted that some TPS recipients were under investigation for fraud or national security concerns.
But refugee advocates are pushing back. The International Rescue Committee reports that over 50% of Afghanistan’s population remains in need of humanitarian assistance, and conditions for women and girls have sharply deteriorated under Taliban rule.
The Impact on Afghan Women: Silenced Again?
Perhaps most troubling is what this decision means for Afghan women. Since the Taliban’s return, women have been stripped of basic rights: banned from education, barred from employment, and confined to their homes under threat of violence. Women’s rights defenders, educators, and journalists have faced arrests, beatings, and disappearances.
For Afghan women living in the U.S. under TPS—many of whom fled precisely because of these conditions—being forced to return is not just unjust; it’s dangerous.
“This decision erases the lived realities of Afghan women,” says a spokesperson from Women for Afghan Women. “There is no safety or opportunity for them in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Sending them back is a betrayal of both their courage and our promises.”
A Broader Pattern of Rollbacks
This TPS termination doesn’t stand alone. It’s part of a broader rollback of humanitarian immigration protections. In recent months, the Biden administration has also ended or declined to renew TPS for countries like Venezuela, Cameroon, and El Salvador—countries still grappling with violence and instability.
At the same time, the administration has granted refugee status to white South African Afrikaners, citing “racial persecution,” a move that has drawn sharp criticism for its racial double standard. This contrast raises urgent questions about who is deemed worthy of protection, and why.
Community Response: “This Is a Betrayal”
Advocacy groups, immigration lawyers, and community leaders have condemned the decision. The American Immigration Council called it “a betrayal of Afghan allies who put their lives on the line for U.S. forces.” Human Rights First noted that deporting TPS holders will destabilize families and communities, many of whom are working, paying taxes, and raising children here in the U.S.
“Many of these individuals are contributing to our economy, to healthcare, to education,” says Sara Tabbah of the Afghan Diaspora Alliance. “This isn’t just immigration policy—it’s a question of human rights and national integrity.”
What Now for TPS Holders?
As the July 14 deadline approaches, Afghan TPS holders are being urged to consult immigration attorneys and explore other legal pathways, such as asylum applications or Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs). However, those options are notoriously slow, backlogged, and uncertain—especially for women who may lack documentation or face trauma-related barriers.
Justice or Just Policy?
This moment calls us to examine the values we claim to hold. If the United States is to be a country that protects the vulnerable, that honors its wartime allies, and that believes in women’s rights as human rights, then terminating protections for Afghan nationals—especially women—is indefensible.
We must ask ourselves, what is the cost of a promise broken? And who pays the price?
#AfghanRefugees #TPS2025 #AfghanWomenMatter #ImmigrantJustice #RefugeeRights #HumanRightsNow
