WASHINGTON: A U.S. appeals court has temporarily halted the expiration of protections for nearly 12,000 Afghans, allowing them to remain and work legally in the country. The protections, granted under Temporary Protected Status (TPS), were set to lapse Monday as part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to make more immigrants eligible for deportation.
In May, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that TPS for 11,700 Afghans would end within 60 days. The status had shielded them from deportation and granted work authorization.
Immigrant advocacy group CASA sued the administration over the TPS termination for Afghans and Cameroonians — protections for the latter group are due to expire on August 4. A federal judge allowed the lawsuit to proceed but declined to extend TPS protections during the legal process.
CASA appealed that decision, and on Monday, the appeals court issued a one-week stay, keeping TPS protections for Afghans in place. While the court gave no explanation for the stay, it requested briefs from both parties this week, signaling a swift review. DHS has not yet responded to media inquiries.
Though the 11,700 Afghans currently protected by TPS represent a small fraction of the roughly 180,000 Afghans who have arrived in the U.S. since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, the move to revoke their protections has sparked strong backlash. Many TPS recipients supported U.S. efforts during the two-decade war in Afghanistan.
“Many of those losing protections served alongside American forces. We must honor their service by ensuring their safety and giving them a chance to thrive here,” said Jennie Murray, President and CEO of the National Immigration Forum. “Congress must act to provide permanent legal status — a promise long overdue.”
When announcing the end of TPS for Afghans, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claimed conditions in Afghanistan had improved enough to justify ending protections. “The Secretary determined that overall improvements in security and the economy mean returning Afghan nationals does not pose a safety risk due to conflict or extraordinary conditions,” the DHS said in May.
TPS is a discretionary protection granted by the Homeland Security secretary to nationals of countries facing armed conflict, natural disasters, or other extreme conditions. It allows recipients to work legally and prevents deportation but does not provide a path to citizenship. Renewals typically occur every 18 months, but recipients remain vulnerable to policy shifts.
Under the first Trump administration, efforts to roll back TPS for many countries were largely blocked by the courts. The current administration has taken a more aggressive stance, seeking to end TPS for citizens of seven countries, with Venezuela and Haiti accounting for the majority of affected individuals.
Critics argue that while TPS is meant to be temporary, it has effectively become long-term due to repeated renewals. Successive administrations, they claim, have extended the status without thoroughly reassessing conditions on the ground
