U.S. appeals court temporarily blocks ending Afghans' protected status
An administrative stay on the termination of temporary protected status for Afghans will remain until July 21, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit said in an order granting a request from immigration advocacy organisation CASA.
The group had filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to challenge the terminations of the temporary protected status for Afghans and Cameroonians announced by the Trump administration in April.
CASA had filed for an emergency motion for a stay on Monday (July 14, 2025), when the protected status for Afghans was scheduled to be terminated. The protected status for Cameroonians is set to end on August 4, according to the court document.
The DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In April when the Trump administration terminated temporary deportation protections for thousands of Afghans and Cameroonians, the department had said conditions in Afghanistan and Cameroon no longer merited the protected status.
The Trump administration has until 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday (July 16, 2025) (0359 GMT, Thursday) to respond.
The U.S. evacuated more than 82,000 Afghans from Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in 2021, including more than 70,000 who entered the U.S. with temporary 'parole,' which allowed legal entry for a period of two years.
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