- The Biden administration’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) extended and redesignated temporary deportation protections for thousands of Afghan refugees, allowing them to temporarily work in the United States without being deported back to Taliban-led Afghanistan.
- Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced the department is extending and redesignating its Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program for Afghanistan nationals for 18 months, from Nov. 21, 2023, to May 20, 2025, allowing nationals from that country to apply for protection from deportation and obtain work permits.
- The Department cited the ongoing armed conflict and “extraordinary and temporary” conditions in Afghanistan that prevent nationals from safely returning as reasons for the protection extensions.