A US appeals court has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from removing the temporary protective status of thousands of Afghans in the United States, according to court documents released on Monday.
The US court of appeals for the fourth circuit issued an administrative stay on the termination of temporary protected status for Afghans until 21 July, following an emergency motion from the immigration advocacy group Casa. The organisation had filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) challenging the termination of protections for Afghans and Cameroonians announced in April.
The protected status for Afghans was scheduled to end on Monday, while the termination for Cameroonians is set for 4 August. The DHS has until Wednesday evening to respond to the court order.
In April, the DHS stated that conditions in Afghanistan and Cameroon no longer justified the protected status. However, the court’s stay prevents immediate action. More than 82,000 Afghans were evacuated after the Taliban takeover in 2021, with over 70,000 entering the US on temporary ‘parole’ allowing a two-year legal stay.
