Federal appeals court blocks Trump administration from removing unvetted Afghan immigrants’ protected status

A federal appeals court has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s move to end protected status for Afghan migrants, Breitbart reported. The Biden era policy gave thousands of migrants from Afghanistan de facto amnesty.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security released a statement about the decision. “Temporary Protected Status was designed to be just that—TEMPORARY. Granted for 18 months under extraordinary circumstances,” the official account posted to X, formerly Twitter.

“It was never meant to last a quarter of a century. For many of these countries, TPS was granted in the 90’s after natural disasters. Now that conditions have improved, it is time to return home. President Trump and Secretary Noem are restoring integrity to our immigration system and ensuring that TPS remains TEMPORARY,” the post Tuesday said.

Temporary Protected Status was designed to be just that—TEMPORARY. Granted for 18 months under extraordinary circumstances. It was never meant to last a quarter of a century.

For many of these countries, TPS was granted in the 90’s after natural disasters. Now that conditions… pic.twitter.com/x7LY1xbGcd

— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) July 15, 2025

Problematic program

Then-President Joe Biden resettled Afghan migrants in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status. As part of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, his U.S. Department of Homeland Security sought to end TPS for thousands of migrants after then-President Biden resettled them into the U.S.

On Monday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit put a stay on the administration’s plan to end the loophole for some 75,000 people from Afghanistan resettled under Biden. As DHS said, this was supposed to be a temporary measure set to expire on July 12.

However, the appeals court has put the brakes on any abolishment for now after the pro-immigration organization CASA, Inc. filed a lawsuit. Unfortunately, this comes amid reports of fraud in the program that could expose Americans to danger.

Even before TPS was an official policy, it was known that Afghans resettled in the U.S. had problematic ties. Unfortunately, of the 31 who were designated with “derogatory information,” only three could be located within the U.S. in 2021.

That same year, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) requested information about Afghans on the “No Fly List” who tried to enter the U.S. However, the Biden administration was cagey about the data and refused to report the exact count of such immigrants.

Persistent issue

Even after TPS for Afghans was formalized in 2022, the issues persisted. In February 2022, the Department of Defense found that the Afghans imported under Biden’s plan were not sufficiently vetted before being settled in communities throughout the U.S.

That early report found that 50 Afghans with “significant security concerns” were allowed into the U.S. through the resettlement program without much scrutiny. In February 2022, an Inspector General’s report called out the Biden administration for its lack of vetting and warned it would “pose a national security risk.”

A former Department of Defense official disclosed in 2023 that some of the Afghans given access to the U.S. had been involved in placing improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan. These roadside bombs were used to kill American service members in Afghanistan.

Just last year, a 27-year-old Afghan who was brought to the U.S. as part of Biden’s plan was allegedly planning a terrorist attack on Election Day. He was arrested in Oklahoma before he could carry out his diabolical agenda.

Unfortunately, Biden and his cronies in the court system are perfectly willing to risk American lives to continue with the open borders policies that got us here. Trump has been blindsided by the court’s reluctance to allow him to protect the U.S. by keeping unvetted people out, but his administration will not stop fighting it.