The Department of Homeland Security terminated humanitarian relief Monday that allowed individuals from Afghanistan to remain in the United States as long as the country was deemed unsafe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced the end of temporary protected status, or TPS, for Afghanistan, stating that the return of individuals to the region no longer posed a threat to their personal safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve reviewed the conditions in Afghanistan with our interagency partners, and they do not meet the requirements for a TPS designation,\u201d Noem said<\/a> in a DHS release. \u201cAfghanistan has had an improved security situation, and its stabilizing economy no longer prevent them from returning to their home country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, U.S. service members and Afghans who assisted the U.S. during the war in Afghanistan and whose family members still live in the country told<\/a> Military Times in February that the region was patently unsafe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They said they constantly feared for their loved ones\u2019 lives and said the Taliban were actively hunting anyone affiliated with the United States government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The termination of TPS will go into effect on July 12, the DHS release said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Temporary protected status \u2014 a protection from deportation awarded by the U.S. to individuals who would otherwise face danger if they return to their country \u2014 was offered during the Biden administration to Afghan nationals fleeing Afghanistan after the U.S. withdrew from the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noem cited the shift in policy as part of an overarching effort to \u201crestore integrity\u201d in the American immigration system. DHS consulted with the State Department and analyzed a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services review of Afghanistan\u2019s conditions as part of its decision, according to the DHS release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The policy shift is unconscionable, said Shawn VanDiver, CEO of AfghanEvac, an organization that assists Afghan allies and refugees with relocation efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAfghanistan remains under the control of the Taliban,\u201d VanDiver said<\/a> in a statement. \u201cThere is no functioning asylum system. There are still assassinations, arbitrary arrests, and ongoing human rights abuses, especially against women and ethnic minorities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t