By Ted Hesson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A group of 100 Democratic lawmakers is urging top Trump administration officials to restore deportation protections for thousands of Afghans in the U.S., warning they would be sent back to “devastating humanitarian and economic conditions” in Afghanistan.
In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the lawmakers called on the administration to restore access to the Temporary Protected Status program for Afghans, saying women and children could face particular harm under the Taliban-led government in place since 2021.
“The grave conditions that forced Afghan nationals to flee and seek refuge in the U.S. following the return of the Taliban to power remain,” the lawmakers said. “Because of this harsh reality, forcing Afghan nationals in the U.S. to return to Afghanistan would be reckless and inhumane, and would threaten the safety and well-being of thousands of individuals and families, especially women and girls.”
The effort is being led by U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, Representative Glenn Ivey and Senator Amy Klobuchar. TPS provides deportation relief and work permits to people already in the U.S. if their home countries experience a natural disaster, armed conflict or other extraordinary event.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in April that it would terminate TPS for Afghans and formally announced the termination in a May notice. The notice said that Noem had determined conditions in Afghanistan had improved enough to allow Afghans to return and that letting them stay in the U.S. would be contrary to national interests.
The decision to end TPS – set to take effect July 14 – has sparked concern among Afghans depending on the status.
President Donald Trump’s Republican administration has ended TPS for some 350,000 Venezuelans and moved to end it for thousands more from Cameroon.
DHS said in its termination notice that 11,700 Afghans were currently enrolled in TPS but that 3,600 had been approved for green cards as of April.
(Reporting by Ted Hesson; Editing by Andrea Ricci)
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