RASC News Agency: The Biden administration has announced a 60-day extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for thousands of Afghanistani refugees residing in the United States, a critical lifeline for individuals who fled their homeland following the Taliban’s return to power. The extension was confirmed on Saturday by Sean Van Diver, president of AfghanEvac, a prominent advocacy group supporting the evacuation and resettlement of Afghanistani nationals. The decision, which comes amid rising concerns over the uncertain future of Afghanistani refugees in the U.S., offers temporary relief to those whose legal status was hanging in the balance. “TPS is not merely a bureaucratic designation it is the difference between safety and deportation,” Van Diver stated in a message posted to his X (formerly Twitter) account. “Thousands of Afghanistanis who stood beside American forces, who risked their lives for our mission, now rely on this protection to rebuild their lives on U.S. soil.”
Van Diver did not mince words in characterizing any potential rollback of TPS protections. He described such an outcome as a “betrayal” of America’s moral obligation to its former wartime allies, warning that a revocation would leave thousands vulnerable to deportation to a country now controlled by a regime notorious for widespread human rights violations and targeted persecution. This extension follows a controversial announcement made a month earlier by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which had indicated that TPS for Afghanistani nationals might be discontinued. The policy reversal now signals a tentative acknowledgment by the U.S. government of the urgent need to safeguard vulnerable populations particularly those at risk of reprisal from the Taliban regime.
Human rights organizations and refugee advocates have long argued that the United States has a duty both moral and strategic to provide lasting protection to Afghanistani nationals who supported coalition efforts during the two-decade war. Many of these individuals served as interpreters, logisticians, civil society leaders, and military partners, and would face grave threats if forcibly returned to Taliban-controlled territory. The renewed TPS extension comes at a time when global refugee protection systems are under increasing strain, and when the international community’s response to Afghanistan’s humanitarian catastrophe remains grossly inadequate. Despite the United States’ withdrawal in 2021, the legacy of its involvement persists particularly in the lives of the thousands left in limbo by policy indecision and bureaucratic delays.
While the extension is a welcome development, advocacy groups stress that it remains a temporary solution. “TPS is not a substitute for permanent status,” said a spokesperson for the International Refugee Assistance Project. “What Afghanistani refugees need is a clear and permanent pathway to residency, not a piecemeal extension that leaves their futures uncertain every few months.” Calls are intensifying for the U.S. Congress to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act, legislation that would provide a permanent legal status to Afghanistani evacuees. So far, the bill has faced political obstacles despite bipartisan recognition of the refugees’ contributions to U.S. military efforts.
As the clock ticks down on yet another short-term extension, thousands of Afghanistanis in the United States remain in legal limbo grateful for a temporary reprieve, yet still waiting for the dignity and security of a permanent home.
