The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), under President Donald Trump, has decided to end the quasi-advocacy program that protected many immigrants from Afghanistan, who were brought to the U.S. by former President Joe Biden’s administration.
On Monday, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced the termination of Afghanistan’s Temporary Protection Status (TPS).
In 2022, Biden’s administration facilitated the entry of nearly 100,000 Afghans into the U.S., marking the largest resettlement effort from a single country in American history. Around 75,000 of these Afghans received TPS, allowing them to remain in the U.S. and obtain work permits.
Noem noted that Afghan TPS would officially end on July 12th.
“This administration has reverted TPS to its original, temporary intent. We assessed the situation in Afghanistan with our interagency partners, but the criteria for TPS designation have not been met,” Noem stated.
She elaborated in a press release on May 12th:
Afghanistan’s security is improving, and the economy is stabilizing, making it feasible for people to return home. Furthermore, the decision to terminate TPS is partly due to recipients facing investigations for fraud, which poses risks to public safety and national security. Reviewing TPS designations is crucial for restoring integrity to the immigration system.
[Emphasis added]
Concerns were raised about widespread fraud and abuse during the resettlement process. Reports from law enforcement and inspectors general have pointed this out repeatedly.
In one notable incident, a 27-year-old Afghan man was arrested in Oklahoma for allegedly planning a terrorist attack on Election Day. He had arrived in the U.S. amidst Biden’s extensive resettlement effort.
In April 2023, a former Department of Defense (DOD) official disclosed to Congress that some Afghans who resettled in the U.S. had been linked to deploying improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Afghanistan, targeting American troops.
In 2021, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) sought details on the number of Afghans in the U.S. who were on the federal government’s “no-fly list” due to links to Islamic terrorism. Officials from Biden’s agency did not provide this information.
By September 2022, the DHS Inspector General released a significant report indicating that the Biden administration imported Afghans without adequate vetting, potentially threatening national security.
A DOD IG report, issued in February 2022, also found that Biden’s agency did not properly reject Afghans who posed serious security concerns; approximately 50 Afghans were flagged post-resettlement.
According to the DOD IG, most Afghans flagged for potential terrorist connections have disappeared into American communities. By September 17, 2021, only three out of 31 Afghans with certain “mild information” could be located.
In August 2022, Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) reported allegations from whistleblowers claiming that the Biden administration had knowingly resettled 400 Afghans categorized as “potential threats” and had urged staff to expedite the review processes.
A report from Project Veritas in May 2022 suggested that the Biden administration had resettled Afghans included on the federal government’s “terrorist watch list” into American communities.
