HRW says ending TPS for Afghan refugees contradicts the US State Department’s own report documenting severe human rights abuses in Afghanistan, warning the policy puts vulnerable people at greater risk.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused the Trump administration of pursuing policies toward Afghan refugees that contradict the US State Department’s own findings on human rights conditions in Afghanistan.
The State Department’s 2024 annual human rights report, released Tuesday, cites credible evidence of widespread abuses under Taliban rule, including arbitrary arrests, torture, extrajudicial killings, and severe restrictions on women, civil liberties, and free speech. It concludes that Afghanistan remains a “dangerous” place.
Despite these assessments, HRW says Washington is ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for thousands of Afghan refugees—protection granted to individuals whose return would be unsafe due to conflict, repression, or disasters.
The Department of Homeland Security announced the TPS termination in April, and last month a federal judge approved beginning the process to end protections for Afghans and Cameroonians. Similar measures have been applied to refugees from Haiti, Venezuela, Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua.
TPS is designed to shield people from deportation when returning to their home country poses serious risks, but HRW argues the current US approach disregards its own recognition of those dangers in Afghanistan.
Rights advocates warn that the policy shift could force vulnerable Afghans back into a country where documented human rights abuses remain rampant, undermining both US credibility and humanitarian obligations.
They also note that the contradiction between the State Department’s documented concerns and the administration’s immigration decisions highlights a growing gap between US human rights rhetoric and policy practice.
