Some Afghan refugees at risk for deportation with protected status set to end soon
Refugee advocates in metro Atlanta are furious to find out the Trump administration is planning to deport those who fled Afghanistan after the U.S. withdrawal in 2021.
'This is not a part of history we're going to be proud of,' said Dr. Hogai Nassery, MD.
Nassery has helped more than 300 families resettle through a nonprofit called Afghan American Alliance of Georgia.
She estimates more than 2,000 people fled to Georgia after the U.S. withdrew, the vast majority in metro Atlanta.
'They served with our troops, with American troops, and our allies, in Afghanistan in very dangerous situations,' said Nassery. 'So, it's been an honor to help them. We see them as heroes.'
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The U.S. helped them escape, but the Trump Administration said those whose asylum claims remain unapproved are at risk of deportation. Their Temporary Protected Status is set to expire May 20, 2025.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is urging the Trump Administration to delay sending back refugees from Afghanistan amid persecution by the Taliban.
Raffensperger said he 'learned that several Afghan Christian refugees currently residing in the United States were told they had to return to Afghanistan. Many of these Afghan Christians had risked their lives for religious freedom and democratic values in service of American forces in-country, and we should make sure we hear their asylum claims before sending them back to a government that is known to persecute Christians.'
Serene Kashlan is an immigration attorney who represented Afghan asylum seekers.
'The Taliban is the current government, and anyone that worked with the former government, which was a U.S. ally, or with the U.S. government in some capacity, or even, like, human rights organizations, anything like that, or people of certain minority groups, or women, they're still going to be targeted if they return,' said Kashlan.
She said some have not received asylum protections due to court backlogs or errors.
'Some people won't be able to have a livelihood, and some people will be tortured and killed by their government,' said Kashlan.
The Department of Homeland Security argues that the status was designed to be temporary, and the Taliban-ruled country's economy is stabilizing, and security has improved.
'Secretary Noem made the decision to terminate TPS for individuals from Afghanistan because the country's improved security situation and its stabilizing economy no longer prevent them from returning to their home country,' Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement shared with Channel 2 Action News. 'Additionally, the termination furthers the national interest and the statutory provision that TPS is, in fact, designed to be temporary.'
McLaughlin also said that there were multiple Afghan nationals who had been given protected status who 'have been the subject of administrative investigations for fraud, public safety, and national security.'
Channel 2 Action News has asked the Department of Homeland Security for more information about the administrative investigations mentioned and is waiting for further details.
'It has not become safe,' said Kashlan.
She said this group would return to Afghanistan as traitors for helping the U.S., and Nassery said Taliban leaders are waiting for their return.
'We are betraying them,' said Nassery.
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The Trump Administration paused the processing of Green Card applications to those who were granted asylum or refugee status.
The White House warned this was coming in January when it announced plans to realign the refugee admissions program.
President Donald Trump's order states:
'The United States lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees, into its communities in a manner that does not compromise the availability of resources for Americans, that protects their safety and security, and that ensures the appropriate assimilation of refugees. This order suspends the USRAP until such time as the further entry into the United States of refugees aligns with the interests of the United States.'
To read U.S. Department of Homeland Security information on Afghan nationals, click here: https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/information-for-afghan-nationals
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