WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday it will designate Afghanistan for temporary protected status, providing 18 months of deportation relief to Afghans who fled the country following its fall to the Taliban last year.
The designation will provide immigration protections to tens of thousands of Afghans who were permitted to enter the U.S. without visas under humanitarian parole after the evacuation. It will also allow them to work legally, though many already sought work permits under the terms of humanitarian parole.
“This TPS designation will help to protect Afghan nationals who have already been living in the United States from returning to unsafe conditions,” said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, citing oppressive actions by the Taliban regime and a worsening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
