Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghan nationals will be terminated, effective on July 12.
“This administration is returning TPS to its original temporary intent,” said Noem. “We’ve reviewed the conditions in Afghanistan with our interagency partners, and they do not meet the requirements for a TPS designation. Afghanistan has had an improved security situation, and its stabilizing economy no longer prevent them from returning to their home country. Additionally, the termination furthers the national interest as DHS records indicate that there are recipients who have been under investigation for fraud and threatening our public safety and national security. Reviewing TPS designations is a key part of restoring integrity in our immigration system.”
A Federal Register notice explains that Noem consulted with the State Department, concluding that “continuing to permit the Afghan nationals to remain temporarily in the United States would not be consistent with the U.S. national interest.”
“Continuing to permit these Afghan nationals to remain in the United States does not champion core American interests or put American interests first,” the notice says. “U.S. foreign policy interests are best served and protected by curtailing policies that facilitate or encourage destabilizing migration.”
Noem’s notice notes that while “humanitarian need remains prevalent” for Afghan nationals, the number of those requiring assistance has “declined to 23.7 million this year, a decrease from the more than 29 million Afghan nationals in need reported the previous year.”
Other reasons for ending TPS status include the promotion of tourism and the increasing number of foreign visitors.
