• Press Release

Temporary Protected Status for Afghanistan Is a Critical Step and Protections Must Be Extended to Other Countries Facing Armed Conflict

March 16, 2022

Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Responding to today’s announcement from the Department of Homeland Security of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghanistan, Amy Fischer, Americas Advocacy Director at Amnesty International USA, said:

“Today’s announcement comes as an immense relief to help protect the over 75,000 Afghans who were evacuated to the United States as part of the military withdrawal last summer and the thousands who were already in the United States on non-immigrant visas. 

“While AIUSA applauds this designation, the United States’ promise to Afghans is far from over. This designation is a band aid but not a cure. Congress must urgently work to pass legislation to ensure that Afghans have a roadmap to citizenship. The Biden administration must also continue evacuations by expanding humanitarian pathways and establishing a designated parole program for Afghans.

“We also once again call upon the Biden administration to provide similar protections for populations from countries including Cameroon that have been waiting for TPS designations as armed conflict in these countries worsen and death tolls mount by the thousands. We call for TPS for people of the Bahamas, Cameroon, Guatemala, Guinea, Ethiopia, Hong Kong, Mauritania, and Sierra Leone; and call for further protections for nationals from El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua. 

“Weeks ago, AIUSA applauded the letter by over 100 Members of Congress on the disparate treatment of Black migrants in the immigration system, and we once again call on the Biden administration to urgently act to protect Black migrants and asylum seekers.”

Contact: Gabby Arias, [email protected]