President Donald Trump’s administration continues to terminate programs designed to assist Afghan immigrants and refugees in securing legal status in the United States.
With approximately 200,000 Afghan immigrants and refugees arriving since the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August 2021, many now find themselves facing the threat of deportation back to a perilous environment in Afghanistan.
Among the 200,000 newly settled Afghans, about 10,000 have made Greater Houston their home.
While a portion of this immigrant community has succeeded in obtaining green cards or U.S. citizenship, a significant number still hold vulnerable legal statuses, such as humanitarian parole and Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
TPS allows individuals from nations experiencing threats due to war or disaster to live in the U.S. until conditions improve at home.
Reports surfaced as early as February indicating that the U.S. State Department planned to dissolve its Office of the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE) and terminate Operation Enduring Welcome, the program it managed.
U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, a Republican representing a district from Houston to Austin, and former chair of both the House Foreign Affairs and House Homeland Security Committees, signed a letter in March urging Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to reconsider the decision.
Alongside two colleagues, McCaul expressed in the letter, ‘Such a decision would abandon over 200,000 wartime allies and have lasting consequences for America’s global credibility, military operations, and veterans.
The Taliban considers anyone who worked with the U.S. to be an enemy.
They are being hunted, detained, and executed.
Over 3,200 documented killings and disappearances of former Afghan military personnel, interpreters, and U.S. government partners has already occurred.’
Sayedyaqoob Qattali, who served as a security commander for the Afghan Interior Ministry in Herat Province, found himself in a precarious situation when the Taliban assumed control.
He was unable to secure evacuation assistance from the U.S. and instead embarked on a long journey through Central and South America, ultimately arriving in Houston under the Houston-based veterans’ organization Combined Arms’ support.
Despite being a promising leasing agent and speaking seven languages, Qattali was informed in April of the need to leave the country within a week, or face a hefty daily fine.
Though his attorney reassured him about the asylum process, fear for his family’s safety consumed him, as he was clearly warned of a death sentence awaiting him in Afghanistan.
This precarious situation intensified when the Department of Homeland Security announced that they would not renew TPS for Afghans once it expired in May 2024.
This decision put close to 1,000 Afghans in the Houston area at risk of deportation.
Khalil Yarzada, a former Afghan translator for U.S. and NATO forces who recently became a U.S. citizen, expressed concern for those who could be endangered by the revocation of TPS.
He said, ‘A lot of people are going to see a target on their back.’
Ali Zakaria, an immigration attorney in West Houston, suggested that the motivation to end TPS stems from Trump’s campaign promise to implement mass deportations.
He noted that the actual number of deportable individuals is relatively low.
However, President Trump’s administration is likely targeting the legal protections available to create a larger population eligible for deportation.
Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, explained the administration’s rationale for terminating TPS for Afghans.
She stated that the decision was made since the security situation and the economy in Afghanistan were deemed sufficiently improved for individuals to return home.
However, this view is contested by the State Department, which maintains a Level 4 travel advisory for Afghanistan, warning individuals to avoid travel due to armed conflict, crime, and terrorism.
Critics like McCaul emphasize the necessity of safeguarding Afghan allies, especially given the documented retribution sought by the Taliban against those who assisted U.S. forces.
As the political climate continues to shift in the U.S., even those Afghans who have legal pathways to citizenship, such as Muhammad Amiri, grapple with uncertainty.
Amiri, a former pilot trainee with the Afghan Air Force, successfully obtained a Special Immigrant Visa and recently received his green card.
Employed as a security supervisor at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, he is pursuing further education in IT while planning his future.
Despite securing his legal status, Amiri worries for his fiancée remaining in Afghanistan, fearing that if he leaves the U.S., he might lose reentry.
He said, ‘We don’t feel safe, and we don’t feel good because now, we feel threatened.
If they send us back to our country, it will be the same story— we feel threatened of being tortured, maybe killed by the Taliban.’
Zakaria advised immigrants like Amiri to be cautious, indicating they may be unfairly targeted due to their visibility and opinions surrounding the current administration.
The Afghan Adjustment Act, which aimed to expedite permanent legal status for those who aided U.S. forces, has stalled in Congress since the end of 2022 and remains unresolved in the current session.
The future for Afghan immigrants in the U.S. remains uncertain as policies shift and the situation in Afghanistan continues to be a point of concern.
Many Afghans face ongoing threats, with their hopes of stability hanging in the balance as legal protections begin to wane.
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