Afghan refugees in U.S. to receive temporary protected status

WASHINGTON — Afghan refugees in the United States will be allowed to stay for at least 18 months under temporary protected status, the government said Wednesday, a move that will help some of the thousands who arrived following the chaotic American withdrawal from their country.

The Afghans must already be in the U.S. and pass a background check to qualify for the program, which is intended to help thousands who were evacuated to the U.S. under a short-term status known as humanitarian parole as their country fell to the Taliban.

For many, however, time is running out because they have not yet received permanent residency through backlogged programs such as the special immigrant visa, which is issued to people who worked as interpreters or in some other capacity for the U.S. and its allies during the 20-year war.

In the meantime, their country has spiraled into a deep economic crisis under Taliban rule, and millions of them are at risk of starvation.

“This TPS designation will help to protect Afghan nationals who have already been living in the United States from returning to unsafe conditions,”

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement announcing the move.

More than 76,000 Afghans were admitted to the U.S. following the U.S. withdrawal in August. Homeland Security has said that about 40% will eventually qualify for a special immigrant visa, a lengthy and complex process that ultimately provides permanent legal residency and a path to citizenship.

Most have now settled in communities around the U.S., with the largest numbers moving to Northern Virginia and the surrounding Washington, D.C., area; Northern California; and Texas.