Latest news with #AfghanEvac
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration can lift deportation protections for Afghanistan and Cameroon
An appellate court has allowed the Trump administration to end a program that grants temporary deportation protections and work permits to more than 10,000 people from Afghanistan and Cameroon. In a brief order Monday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit wrote that the plaintiff — an immigration advocacy group called CASA — has a plausible case against the administration for choosing to end temporary protected status, or TPS, for Afghans and Cameroonians. But the court said "there is insufficient evidence to warrant the extraordinary remedy" of blocking the government from phasing out TPS while the lawsuit works its way through the courts. One week ago, the appeals court temporarily blocked the Trump administration from ending TPS for Afghanistan for one week, while it considered the merits of CASA's case. The administration had planned to end the program for Afghans last week. The program is set to end for Cameroonians in two weeks, on Aug. 4. The appellate court on Monday directed a lower court to "move expeditiously" to hear the case. Around 11,700 Afghans and 5,200 Cameroonians are enrolled in TPS, the government estimates. But roughly 3,600 of the Afghans and 200 of the Cameroonians have green cards, so they will not be affected. Those who lose their TPS protections can apply for asylum or some other form of legal status, but otherwise, they will be at risk of deportation. AfghanEvac, a group that has helped relocate Afghans, said in a statement it is "deeply alarmed" by Monday's ruling. "Lives will be upended. Families will be separated. Allies will be detained, deported, or forced into hiding—while their legal rights remain unsettled," AfghanEvac President Shawn VanDiver said in a statement Monday night. CBS News has reached out to the White House, the Department of Homeland Security and CASA for comment. The Trump administration has sought for months to roll back TPS, a program that allows the government to grant relief from deportation and work permits for people whose home countries are deemed unsafe due to natural disasters or war. The government argues that the TPS program is intended to be temporary, and Cameroon and Afghanistan are now safe enough for TPS recipients to return. Earlier this year, the Trump administration said Afghanistan's security situation and economy have improved despite the Taliban's 2021 takeover of the country following the U.S. military's withdrawal. And the government said a pair of armed conflicts in Cameroon — including a separatist conflict and an insurgency by the extremist group Boko Haram, which the U.S. designated a foreign terrorist organization in 2013 — are "contained in limited regions" and don't imperil people's personal safety in most of the country. "This administration is returning TPS to its original temporary intent," Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a May statement announcing the Afghanistan decision. The State Department has placed a "Do Not Travel" advisory on Afghanistan, warning of the risk of "civil unrest, crime, terrorism, risk of wrongful detention, kidnapping, and limited health facilities." The department advises travelers to Cameroon to exercise caution, and not to travel to certain parts of the country due to armed violence, crime and terrorism. CASA has argued in court papers that both countries are unsafe, and TPS recipients could be endangered if they're forced to return to their home countries. The group says the conflict in Cameroon — which involves English-speaking separatists in a mostly French-speaking country — has created a humanitarian crisis and wrecked the African country's economy. And people from Afghanistan, the group notes, were made eligible for TPS because of repression by the Taliban and conflict between the group and ISIS-K insurgents. CASA also argues the administration hasn't followed the correct legal processes to end TPS, and contends the decision was "preordained" and based partly on "racial animus." "That animus is evidenced by the Trump Administration's efforts to eliminate lawful immigration status for noncitizens from countries the Administration believes are predominantly non-white, while simultaneously removing immigration barriers to noncitizens from countries the Administration believes are predominately white," the group said. Earlier this month, a lower court judge denied DHS's request to dismiss CASA's lawsuit, but also denied CASA's motion to halt the administration's policy. CASA appealed, causing it to reach the 4th Circuit. The Trump administration has sought to wind down TPS for hundreds of thousands of other migrants from Honduras, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Haiti. In May, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to end TPS for Venezuelan migrants. What shocked "Matlock" star Kathy Bates? A new you: The science of redesigning your personality "Somebody Somewhere" star Bridget Everett
CBS News
4 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Trump administration can lift deportation protections for thousands from Afghanistan and Cameroon, court says
An appellate court has allowed the Trump administration to end a program that grants temporary deportation protections and work permits to more than 10,000 people from Afghanistan and Cameroon. In a brief order Monday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit wrote that the plaintiff — an immigration advocacy group called CASA — has a plausible case against the administration for choosing to end temporary protected status, or TPS, for Afghans and Cameroonians. But the court said "there is insufficient evidence to warrant the extraordinary remedy" of blocking the government from phasing out TPS while the lawsuit works its way through the courts. One week ago, the appeals court temporarily blocked the Trump administration from ending TPS for Afghanistan for one week, while it considered the merits of CASA's case. The administration had planned to end the program for Afghans last week. The program is set to end for Cameroonians in two weeks, on Aug. 4. The appellate court on Monday directed a lower court to "move expeditiously" to hear the case. Around 11,700 Afghans and 5,200 Cameroonians are enrolled in TPS, the government estimates. But roughly 3,600 of the Afghans and 200 of the Cameroonians have green cards, so they will not be affected. Those who lose their TPS protections can apply for asylum or some other form of legal status, but otherwise, they will be at risk of deportation. AfghanEvac, a group that has helped relocate Afghans, said in a statement it is "deeply alarmed" by Monday's ruling. "Lives will be upended. Families will be separated. Allies will be detained, deported, or forced into hiding—while their legal rights remain unsettled," AfghanEvac President Shawn VanDiver said in a statement Monday night. CBS News has reached out to the White House, the Department of Homeland Security and CASA for comment. The Trump administration has sought for months to roll back TPS, a program that allows the government to grant relief from deportation and work permits for people whose home countries are deemed unsafe due to natural disasters or war. The government argues that the TPS program is intended to be temporary, and Cameroon and Afghanistan are now safe enough for TPS recipients to return. Earlier this year, the Trump administration said Afghanistan's security situation and economy have improved despite the Taliban's 2021 takeover of the country following the U.S. military's withdrawal. And the government said a pair of armed conflicts in Cameroon — including a separatist conflict and an insurgency by the extremist group Boko Haram, which the U.S. designated a foreign terrorist organization in 2013 — are "contained in limited regions" and don't imperil people's personal safety in most of the country. "This administration is returning TPS to its original temporary intent," Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a May statement announcing the Afghanistan decision. The State Department has placed a "Do Not Travel" advisory on Afghanistan, warning of the risk of "civil unrest, crime, terrorism, risk of wrongful detention, kidnapping, and limited health facilities." The department advises travelers to Cameroon to exercise caution, and not to travel to certain parts of the country due to armed violence, crime and terrorism. CASA has argued in court papers that both countries are unsafe, and TPS recipients could be endangered if they're forced to return to their home countries. The group says the conflict in Cameroon — which involves English-speaking separatists in a mostly French-speaking country — has created a humanitarian crisis and wrecked the African country's economy. And people from Afghanistan, the group notes, were made eligible for TPS because of repression by the Taliban and conflict between the group and ISIS-K insurgents. CASA also argues the administration hasn't followed the correct legal processes to end TPS, and contends the decision was "preordained" and based partly on "racial animus." "That animus is evidenced by the Trump Administration's efforts to eliminate lawful immigration status for noncitizens from countries the Administration believes are predominantly non-white, while simultaneously removing immigration barriers to noncitizens from countries the Administration believes are predominately white," the group said. Earlier this month, a lower court judge denied DHS's request to dismiss CASA's lawsuit, but also denied CASA's motion to halt the administration's policy. CASA appealed, causing it to reach the 4th Circuit. The Trump administration has sought to wind down TPS for hundreds of thousands of other migrants from Honduras, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Haiti. In May, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to end TPS for Venezuelan Montoya-Galvez contributed to this report.
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘I will try to save them': Trump vows to save Afghans facing deportation from UAE
US President Donald Trump said he will try to help Afghan refugees who have been detained in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since they fled their country after the Taliban took power. 'I will try to save them, starting right now,' Trump wrote on Truth Social, linking to a report about the Afghans held in the UAE. According to Reuters, Trump referred to a report by 'Just the News', which claimed that UAE officials may hand over some refugees to the Taliban. Reuters said it had not confirmed that report. The UAE agreed in 2021 to temporarily shelter thousands of Afghans who were evacuated from Kabul after the US withdrawal. Since then, many have remained in legal limbo. Canada accepted about 1,000 of them in 2022 at the request of the US, but it is not clear how many are still in the Gulf country. Nearly 200,000 Afghans were brought to the United States under former President Joe Biden. Trump's administration, however, ended protections for many Afghans in April and had earlier suspended refugee resettlement after he took office. Some countries have already started sending Afghan refugees back. The United Nations said nearly 2 million Afghans were returned from Iran and Pakistan in the past seven months. On Friday, Germany deported 81 Afghan men, and several European countries are also reviewing their asylum policies. Many of the Afghans stuck in the UAE include people who worked for the US government during the 20-year war, children waiting to reunite with parents, and family members of Afghan-Americans who served in the US military. Shawn VanDiver, president of the advocacy group #AfghanEvac, said Trump should take clear steps to follow through on his words. 'President Trump has the authority to do the right thing,' VanDiver told Reuters. 'He should instruct the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department to speed up processing, work on third-country partnerships, and make sure we never again leave our wartime allies behind.' The US State Department did not comment on the situation when asked by Reuters.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump admin. blocked from ending deportation protections for Afghans for now
An appeals court temporarily blocked the Trump administration from revoking deportation protections and work permits for thousands of people from Afghanistan. The administration had planned to end temporary protected status for Afghanistan on Monday, part of a broader push to cut back a program that gives migrants reprieve from deportation if their home country is deemed unsafe. The administration argues those protections aren't meant to be permanent and Afghanistan's security situation has improved, though opponents say the country remains unsafe and revocation would force people to uproot their lives. But in a late-night ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit blocked the administration from putting into place its withdrawal of temporary protected status for one week. The court's administrative stay didn't weigh in on the merits of the case, instead giving the administration and CASA — a group that sued the government over its policy — time to file briefs. "We are pleased with the Fourth Circuit's decision to temporarily pause the termination of TPS for Afghanistan," CASA legal director Ama Frimpong said in a statement, adding the group will push for a longer-term pause. "Although temporary, every moment counts when it comes to families figuring out their futures and being protected from ICE's terror." AfghanEvac, a nonprofit that has helped relocate Afghans, told CBS News the ruling "offers a brief but critical window of relief." "TPS has been a vital lifeline for tens of thousands of Afghans who supported U.S. missions or fled Taliban persecution. Ending it would not only uproot families and destabilize communities, it would betray a promise we made," AfghanEvac President Shawn VanDiver said in an email. "We are heartened by the court's stay, but this isn't a victory—it's a pause. And it underscores the need for permanent protections, not political whiplash every few months." The White House criticized the ruling. "Once again, a rogue judge is trying to infringe on the separation of powers and impede the Trump administration's rightful ability to carry out its immigration policy. Temporary Protective Status is meant to be 'temporary' in nature. We look forward to ultimate victory on the issue," White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement. Some 11,700 Afghans are enrolled in temporary protected status, or TPS, according to federal estimates. The program was extended for Afghanistan in 2023, under the Biden administration, which cited a "deepening humanitarian crisis" and "economic collapse" in Afghanistan since the U.S. military's 2021 withdrawal led the Taliban to retake the country. The program is separate from the more permanent "special immigrant visas" issued to Afghans who worked for the U.S. military, often as translators. And migrants enrolled in TPS can apply for other forms of relief, including asylum. TPS for Afghanistan was set to expire in May of this year unless the Trump administration chose to extend it again. Two months ago, DHS announced it would end the program in mid-July, saying the administration was "returning TPS to its original temporary intent." "Afghanistan has had an improved security situation, and its stabilizing economy no longer prevent[s] them from returning to their home country," DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said. CASA sued Noem over the decision. The group argued the government had not followed the right procedure to end TPS, and alleged the decision wasn't motivated by whether Afghans still qualified for protection, but instead was "part of the Trump Administration's broader effort to reduce the number of nonwhite immigrants in this country." The government pushed back on the lawsuit, writing that Noem has "broad discretion" over which countries qualify for TPS, and arguing the court shouldn't intervene because the protections are only meant to be temporary. Last week, a federal judge denied DHS's request to dismiss the lawsuit, but also denied CASA's motion to halt the administration's policy. CASA appealed that ruling, and on Monday, an appellate court put the revocation of TPS on hold while it considers the case. The Trump administration has sought to wind down TPS for scores of other countries, impacting hundreds of thousands of migrants from Honduras, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Haiti, Cameroon and Afghanistan. The program had been expanded by former President Joe Biden, but President Trump has shifted to a more hardline stance on immigration. The TPS rollback has drawn some lawsuits, but in May, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to end TPS for Venezuelan migrants while the legal battles continue. Trump pushes senators to make $9.4 trillion in spending cuts Watch: Trump takes questions on Pam Bondi, the Epstein files, inflation, Russia and more Congressman scolds protester at college antisemitism hearing: "Shut up and get out of here"
Al Jazeera
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
US court briefly pauses Trump's move to end protective status for Afghans
An appeals court has briefly extended temporary protected status (TPS) for nearly 12,000 Afghans in the United States, hours before it was to expire. Monday's order came 60 days after the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under President Donald Trump announced that it was ending the legal protections for thousands of Afghans legally living in the United States. The order by the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Virginia, granted an administrative stay on the termination until Monday after a request from the immigration advocacy organisation CASA. The appeals court gave no reason for its decision but indicated it would be deciding what to do swiftly. CASA had sought an emergency stay on Monday when the protection of Afghans was due to be terminated, court documents showed. Its case also includes Cameroonians whose TPS is to end on August 4. The immigrant advocacy group said the step to remove the status was arbitrary and discriminatory and would cause 'irreparable harm' to those affected. The court has asked both sides to submit briefs this week. The Trump administration has until 11:59pm US Eastern time on Wednesday (03:59 GMT on Thursday) to respond. A federal judge on Friday allowed the lawsuit to go forward but didn't grant CASA's request to keep the protections in place while the lawsuit plays out. The stay is not a final decision but gives time for the legal challenge, said Shawn VanDiver, founder of AfghanEvac, the main coalition of US military veterans and advocacy groups that coordinates resettlements of Afghan refugees with the government. 'AfghanEvac stands firmly behind the legal challenge and calls on DHS and the Trump administration to immediately reverse course and extend TPS protections,' VanDiver said in an email to the Reuters news agency. That status had allowed Afghans to live and work in the US and meant the government could not deport them. Millions of Afghans who fled their country over previous decades are now being forced back to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan from countries including Iran, Pakistan and the US. Deportations of Afghans are also anticipated in Germany as its government seeks talks with the Taliban. About 180,000 Afghans have come to the US since the Taliban retook control of the country in 2021. About 11,700 of them are currently covered by TPS. When Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ended temporary protected status for Afghans, the department wrote in the decision that the situation in their home country was getting better. 'The Secretary determined that, overall, there are notable improvements in the security and economic situation such that requiring the return of Afghan nationals to Afghanistan does not pose a threat to their personal safety due to armed conflict or extraordinary and temporary conditions,' according to the May announcement. But rights advocates said many Afghans who helped the US during its war in Afghanistan would be targets of the Taliban if they return home. Particularly at risk would be women, whose rights the Taliban have rolled back since its return to power after the US withdrawal, rights groups said. The International Criminal Court last week issued arrest warrants for two top Taliban leaders in Afghanistan on charges related to abuses against women and girls. 'While the Taliban have imposed certain rules and prohibitions on the population as a whole, they have specifically targeted girls and women by reason of their gender, depriving them of fundamental rights and freedoms,' the court said in a statement. The US homeland security secretary may grant TPS to people from specific countries. Countries that are currently designated for TPS include Afghanistan, Myanmar, Cameroon, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Haiti, Honduras, Lebanon, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela and Yemen. In addition to Afghanistan and Cameroon, the Trump administration has moved to end the designation for an estimated 260,000 Haitians and 350,000 Venezuelans. The Trump administration has also announced it will revoke the two-year 'humanitarian parole' of about 530,000 people in the US, including Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans.
