Biden administration to renew temporary status of Afghan evacuees

The Biden administration will allow Afghan evacuees to renew their temporary status in the U.S. as their authorizations begin to expire this summer amid inaction from Congress.

The effort comes as Congress has failed to act on the Afghan Adjustment Act, a bill that would allow the roughly 80,000 Afghans who fled to the U.S. during the 2021 evacuation a pathway to citizenship.

The first group of Afghans brought into the U.S. in the chaotic evacuation from Kabul are set to lose their status as early as July. Afghan evacuees were granted protections through two years of humanitarian parole, a method that allows for the temporary waiving of broader immigration requirements.

Details of the plan were first reported by CBS News, which said the process to renew work permits and protections from deportation will kick off in June and will include the establishment of five centers to help parolees fill out paperwork.

The renewals will be run through the Department of Homeland Security.

“DHS remains committed to supporting Afghan nationals paroled under Operation Allies Welcome, and we continue to explore opportunities to provide avenues for humanitarian relief. We are working to provide guidance to those paroled under Operation Allies Welcome as soon as possible,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement.

While the renewals will be a relief for many Afghans who were fearful of losing their status in the U.S., it does not solve the broader challenge of providing long-term stability for Afghan evacuees.

Many Afghans brought to the U.S. may qualify to remain through a Special Immigration Visa (SIV) offered to those who aided the military, either as interpreters or in other roles.

But not all who came to the U.S. meet the strict criteria for the program, including those who worked on broader democracy and human rights efforts. Afghans who arrived as evacuees likely would not qualify for asylum protection because fleeing from war is not a basis for seeking protections.

“A streamlined and accessible re-parole process would certainly be a welcome reprieve for tens of thousands of Afghan evacuees anxious about their uncertain future here. At the same time, temporary measures like these do not absolve Congress of its responsibility to provide permanent protection to the allies of America’s longest war,” Tim Young, a spokesperson for Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, said in a statement to The Hill.

“We owe a bipartisan solution to all the interpreters, NGO workers, journalists, and women’s rights activists who risked everything to champion our mission and values in Afghanistan.”

Chris Purdy, director of Veterans for American Ideals and Outreach at Human Rights First, said Afghan parolees can afford little delay.

“The clock is ticking on Afghans and their status. With congressional inaction on the Afghan Adjustment Act, delays on renewing parole and temporary protected status will have real effects on Afghans here in the United States,” he said.

“It’s good that the White House appears to be moving on parole, and I’m hopeful that the official rollout comes quickly.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.