DHS extends protected status to Afghans in US for next 18 months

The Department of Homeland Security introduced Wednesday that it had prolonged Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Afghan residents residing within the US as of March 15.

“This TPS designation will help to protect Afghan nationals who have already been living in the United States from returning to unsafe conditions,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stated in a press release.

“Under this designation, TPS will also provide additional protections and assurances to trusted partners and vulnerable Afghans who supported the US military, diplomatic, and humanitarian missions in Afghanistan over 20 years.” 

To be eligible for TPS, Afghans within the US should meet necessities together with passing safety and background checks. The designation will probably be in impact for 18 months. 

DHS’s announcement comes one month after Operation Allies Welcome — the federal authorities’s coordinated effort to assist and resettle Afghan refugees — announced the final departure of evacuees from US military bases to communities throughout the nation.

Since the chaotic US navy withdrawal and the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan final August, roughly 84,600 Afghan nationals, American residents and lawful everlasting residents had been flown to the US. 

In February, DHS introduced that greater than 76,000 Afghan nationals had been resettled within the US. 

In order to enter America, evacuees had been topic to a multi-layered vetting course of that included biometric and biographic screening. They additionally needed to obtain age-appropriate vaccinations. 

The US’s effort to evacuate and resettle Afghan nationals was closely criticized within the fall after the Biden administration didn’t get out all US residents and Afghan allies earlier than the navy withdrawal was accomplished Aug. 30. 

In the months that adopted, many volunteer organizations resembling No One Left Behind and Task Force Argo labored to assist evacuate 1000’s of people that nonetheless wished to go away the embattled nation.

In December, No One Left Behind instructed The Post that it was monitoring greater than 10,000 Afghans who’re both eligible for, utilized for, or had been permitted for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) and had requested assist getting out of Taliban-controlled territory. In addition, the group stated it was monitoring one other 38,000 members of the family of SIV holders or candidates who had been in Afghanistan and had requested for assist.

Earlier this yr, stories indicated the White House was attempting to hurry up the resettlement course of for Afghan refugees and blaming the Trump administration for what it known as a “broken system” of refugee resettlement.

To push speedy resettlement of Afghans this previous fall, the US primarily used humanitarian parole, which doesn’t assure a particular immigrant visa, asylum or inexperienced card after two years. 

The designation for TPS for Afghan refugees comes as tens of millions of Ukrainians flee their nation with Russia’s brutal invasion ending its third week. 

More than 3 million refugees have evacuated the nation, largely fleeing to neighboring European international locations.

It is unclear if the US will expedite the resettlement course of for Ukrainian refugees because it did for Afghans. Earlier this month, DHS prolonged TPS for Ukrainians residing within the US.