RASC News Agency: U.S. Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona has sharply condemned the Biden administration’s decision to terminate the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghanistani refugees, calling the move a “cruel betrayal” and a “departure from American ideals.” In a strongly worded statement posted on social media platform X, Kelly emphasized that the policy not only places vulnerable individuals at grave risk but also undermines the credibility and moral authority of the United States. “The United States doesn’t even have an embassy in Afghanistan,” Kelly wrote. “Yet this administration intends to send people back to a nation ruled by a terrorist regime people who risked their lives to protect American soldiers. This is a heartless and un-American decision that not only betrays our allies but also weakens our national security.”
His comments came after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) formally announced that TPS for Afghanistani nationals will expire on July 12, removing legal protections for thousands of refugees who fled the country following the Taliban’s takeover in 2021.cKristi Noem, the newly appointed Secretary of Homeland Security, defended the controversial move by citing alleged improvements in Afghanistan’s security landscape an assertion widely disputed by international observers, human rights organizations, and Afghanistani community leaders. Noem also claimed that the department had identified “potential fraud and national security concerns” among TPS holders, a justification that critics have denounced as both baseless and deeply prejudiced.
In reality, Afghanistan remains under the grip of a violent and regressive Taliban regime that has dismantled democratic institutions, silenced civil society, and institutionalized systemic gender apartheid, particularly targeting women, ethnic minorities, journalists, and former U.S. collaborators. According to multiple UN and NGO reports, returnees face heightened risks of arbitrary detention, torture, forced disappearance, and even execution. TPS was originally granted under the Biden administration as a humanitarian safeguard, following the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops and the subsequent collapse of the Afghanistani government. The program aimed to provide temporary refuge for individuals who, due to the Taliban’s violent rise to power, could not safely return to their homeland.
With the upcoming expiration of the program, thousands of Afghanistani refugees now face a chilling reality: deportation to a country in which many of them are considered enemies of the regime simply for having worked with or supported American forces, international NGOs, or media outlets. Refugee advocates and civil liberties organizations have sounded the alarm, warning that this decision will not only shatter the lives of those facing return but will also damage America’s global reputation as a sanctuary for the persecuted. “The U.S. government is preparing to send these people back to face persecution, prison, or worse all for having aligned themselves with American ideals,” said a spokesperson for a refugee advocacy network. “This is a complete abdication of our moral duty.”
Senator Kelly has joined a growing bipartisan chorus calling for the Biden administration to reverse the decision and uphold protections for Afghanistani nationals. He has also urged Congress to expedite permanent immigration solutions, such as the Afghan Adjustment Act, to provide lawful pathways for those who supported the U.S. mission in Afghanistan. “These individuals believed in our mission. They believed in democracy, in freedom, in human rights,” Kelly stated. “To now abandon them to a regime that thrives on fear and repression is not only shortsighted it is shameful.” “America’s strength lies not just in its military power, but in its ability to keep its promises. If we betray those who stood with us in our time of need, we are betraying the very values that define us.”
