US to end protected status for Afghans on July 12

KABUL (Pajhwok): The temporary protected status (TPS) for Afghans in the United States will be e terminated on July 12, a Trump administration official says.

Citing notable improvements in Afghanistan, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem said on Monday conditions no longer met statutory requirements.

In a statement reported by The Washington Post, she saidL “We’ve reviewed the conditions in Afghanistan with our interagency partners, and they do not meet the requirements for a TPS designation.”

Noem added. “Afghanistan has had an improved security situation, and its stabilising economy no longer prevent them from returning to their home country.”

The Biden administration had offered Afghan migrants the status, which protects foreigners who cannot return to their home country due to war or natural disasters, after the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan.

The temporary protected status, which was due to expire May 20, would return to its original temporary intent, the secretary announced.

Matthew Tragesser, chief of public affairs at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, was quoted as saying, “Bad actors are taking advantage of this humanitarian program.”

With the termination of TPS, the newspaper believed, more than 9,000 Afghans covered by TPS as of September could face potential deportation.

PAN Monitor/mud