Afghanistan Peace CampaignAMU TV
KABUL, Afghanistan — The Trump administration has ordered some Afghan refugees who legally entered the United States after the Taliban takeover in 2021 to leave the country within a week or face detention and legal action, Newsweek reported Thursday, citing emails and local sources.
According to the report, the Department of Homeland Security has been sending “Notices of Termination of Parole” to Afghan nationals who had been admitted under humanitarian parole programs or other legal pathways. The notices warn recipients to voluntarily depart the country within seven days or face arrest and removal proceedings. US officials said the measures apply to individuals who no longer have a valid legal status to remain.
The move is part of President Donald Trump’s broader immigration crackdown, which he pledged would be the largest mass deportation operation in American history. Since taking office earlier this year, the administration has ramped up enforcement actions, including against Afghans who fled their country fearing Taliban persecution.
Among those who received the notices are Afghans residing in Raleigh, North Carolina, Newsweek reported. One asylum seeker, who spoke anonymously to local broadcaster WRAL, said returning to Afghanistan would be tantamount to “signing a suicide mission.”
The administration is also reportedly taking steps to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghan nationals, a designation that shielded tens of thousands from deportation and allowed them to work legally. TPS protections for Afghanistan are set to expire on May 20, and officials have indicated they do not intend to renew them.
Roughly 150,000 Afghans resettled in the United States between August 2021 and August 2024, according to congressional figures.
Refugee advocates and immigration experts have criticized the administration’s moves. Shawn VanDiver, executive director of AfghanEvac, told NPR this week: “Ending temporary protected status for Afghans isn’t just cold, it’s cowardly. We promised them safety. Now we’re pulling the rug out from under them.”
Julia Gelatt, an analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, warned that revoking TPS would flood the already backlogged asylum system. “Most Afghans in the US have strong asylum claims based on their ties to the United States. For Afghan women especially, losing TPS would be devastating,” she told The New York Times.
A senior DHS official told Newsweek that the recent notices were sent primarily to parolees who had failed to adjust their immigration status after arrival. It remains unclear how many Afghans have left the country following receipt of the notices.