April 12 (UPI) — Citizens of Afghanistan and Cameroon no longer have temporary protected status in the United States, Department of Homeland Security officials announced Friday.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem on March 21 “determined that Afghanistan no longer continues to meet the statutory requirements of its TPS designation,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told The Hill in a statement on Friday.
Noem also is ending TPS for Cameroon nationals in the United States, the New York Times reported on Friday.
The decision to end TPS for Afghanis was made after officials with U.S. Citizenship Immigration Services and the State Department reviewed the matter and discussed is with DHS officials.
An advocate for citizens of Afghanistan criticized the move and said they still need TPS protection, which the Biden administration first granted in 2022.
“The conditions on the ground haven’t improved – they’ve worsened,” veteran and #AfghanEvac President Shawn VanDriver told NPR.
“Afghans who were invited here [and] who built lives here are now being told they don’t matter,” VanDriver said. “It’s cruel, it’s chaotic, and it undermines everything America claimed to stand for when we promised not to leave our allies behind.”
Many Afghanis assisted the U.S. government and military and allied military forces during the war in Afghanistan that began when coalition forces invaded in 2001 and lasted until August 2021.
The war’s 20-year duration makes it the longest in U.S. history.
The war began after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and the hijackings of several U.S. airliners on 9/11.
The United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan was marred by a suicide bomber who killed 13 U.S. service members and killed and injured many others at the Kabul airport on Aug. 26, 2021.
The United States arrested alleged ISIS-K attack planner Mohammad “Jafar” Sharifullahon on March 2 and charged him with providing and conspiring to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization resulting in death.
In addition to announcing the end of TPS for citizens of Afghanistan and Cameroon, Noem on Friday announced all foreign nationals who are in the United States for more than 30 days must register with the federal government in accordance with the Alien Registration Act.
“President [Donald] Trump and I have a clear message for those in our country illegally: leave now,” Noem said in an online announcement.
“If you leave now, you may have the opportunity to return and enjoy our freedom and live the American dream,” Noem said.
“The Trump administration will enforce all our immigration laws,” she added. “We will not pick and choose which laws we will enforce. We must know who is in our country for the safety and security of our homeland and all Americans.”
Trump on Jan. 20 signed Executive Order 14159, which directs the DHS to “restore order and accountability to our immigration system,” the DHS announcement says.
Registration requires all foreign nationals ages 14 and over who have been in the United States for 30 days or more to register and submit fingerprints.
After undergoing registration, they always must carry registration documentation while in the United States.
