Afghanistan isn’t safe, yet the United States may soon be responsible for sending our most trusted partners in Afghanistan back to a corrupt and brutal reality where they will be directly targeted for serving alongside American interests – unless the administration and Congress act now.
The Taliban’s return to power after the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan meant that those Afghans who supported the United States and the universal values of freedom, dignity, and opportunity for all became targets. Many came here, and, in 2022, the government first granted them Temporary Protected Status (TPS) – 18-month permission to live and work in the United States for people from places with “extraordinary and temporary conditions” that won’t let them return safely. It doesn’t afford a pathway to citizenship or a green card. Yet the Trump Administration recently said it won’t renew TPS for Afghan immigrants, set to expire May 20.
TPS was never meant to be permanent. Rather it allows eligible people to legally remain in the United States with the ability to work and travel while conditions in their home country remain unsafe. But for Afghans, forcing them to return to their homeland now – and maybe for quite a while – would place their lives in serious danger.
A better solution is for Congress to provide a pathway for the Afghans who are already here to obtain a more permanent status. Regardless of political party, senators and representatives were instrumental in evacuating our allies and saving lives four years ago. The administration should also reconsider policies that could force Afghan allies to return to a home where their lives would almost certainly be in danger. These actions not only betray at-risk Afghans, they would also signal a concerning normalization of the Taliban’s brutality and use of targeted institutionalized persecution, like Gender Apartheid.
The TPS expiration is only one of a growing list of deeply concerning U.S. immigration challenges facing our Afghan allies. The administration has already halted processing and resettlement of eligible Afghan refugees, and there are indications that it will permanently end efforts like Enduring Welcome, the government’s long-term Afghan resettlement program. Humanitarian parole for Afghan evacuees will expire in August. The Special Immigrant Visa program, which benefits Afghans who worked for the U.S. government, will expire in December unless Congress extends it.
Afghanistan is still extremely dangerous, particularly for those who have directly opposed the current regime’s brutality, extremism, and corruption. Former government officials and military members, journalists, educators, and human rights advocates have been hunted across the country and unjustly detained, tortured, and even killed. Female protesters have faced gang rape and other forms of sexual violence. The Taliban tolerate extremist organizations and grant some refuge and support.
The quality of life has deteriorated for most Afghan citizens, despite Taliban propaganda, fraud, and blatant lies to the contrary. In addition to human rights atrocities, terrorist threats, and widespread persecution, the devastating effects of severe poverty, food insecurity, and lack of access to clean water, heating, and essential services like health care are expanding. Women and children are especially impacted. Polio is endemic, and vaccination campaigns continue to be manipulated and undermined by Taliban officials.
Maternal and infant mortality rates are climbing: The World Health Organization says 24 mothers and 167 infants die each day due to preventable and treatable conditions. More than 3.5 million children grapple with acute malnutrition, and 41% of Afghan children under 5 are stunted because of malnutrition, according to UNICEF data.
These challenges will grow considerably worse for Afghan families – and most notably children – in the years to come, particularly given the impact of recent cuts to foreign assistance funding by the United States and other donor countries.
Forcing our Afghan allies to leave the United States won’t advance U.S safety and security, and it’s not the proper way to treat those who were there for us. Sending them back will discourage Afghans – or people anywhere else in the world – from helping us in the future.
Barred from nearly every facet of public life in Afghanistan, Afghan women we know who are in the United States are raising their children, providing for their families, and contributing to our economy. Some arrived without any formal education but quickly adapted – learning new skills and absorbing American customs. Are we really going to send them back to a country that has outlawed their laughter, their faces, and their access to education, employment, and essential services?
Afghan children are working hard in school alongside our children. Are we really going to send them back to a country that has banned education for most female students and is also actively using extremist curriculum in schools to indoctrinate boys with Taliban propaganda?
Afghan men and women live as our neighbors and work as our colleagues, bringing their tremendous skills to our workforce and taking pride in our neighborhoods, our schools, and the diverse communities we all represent. Many previously served as military translators and embassy employees, civil society leaders, judges and lawyers who prosecuted corruption and drug offenses, and educators. Are we really going to send them back to an extremist regime where they will be hunted and persecuted for their values and convictions? Values and convictions the American people share with these Afghans – freedom and opportunity for all.
American leaders would be better off focusing on Taliban accountability. There are many ways to do so, from expanding targeted sanctions to leveraging U.S. law (like section 311 of the USA Patriot Act) to significantly increase the risk to companies doing business with the Taliban, as the George W. Bush Institute has documented. The United States and its global allies should push back against the Taliban’s tyranny and threats to global safety.
Our communities have only benefited from the contributions of the allies who received refuge here. Like countless immigrant stories before, many of these Afghans represent the American promise, and they add to what makes this country exceptional.
For those of us who have the privilege to know some of these courageous Afghans, we stand in awe of their resilience, tenacity, and dream of a free and fair future for their country. Though further work remained, in 20 years, many of them catalyzed hope and progress that benefited Afghanistan and peace and stability around the world.
Our Afghan allies and their families matter. Security and prosperity are impossible without them. In the aftermath of 9/11, when the United States and global security needed it most, they had our back. We owe it to them to return the favor.
