What are the challenges our Afghan allies face today?
Beyond the headlines, we’re digging into questions that really matter:
What are the challenges Afghan allies are continuing to face five years after the fall of Kabul?
When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, more than 123,000 Afghan allies who had worked alongside American troops were forced to flee for their safety.
In the years since, many have rebuilt their lives in the U.S. with the support of Welcomers across the country, becoming vital members of their communities.
Yet five years later, thousands of Afghan allies still navigate challenges, uncertainty, and shifting policies—including those who have found safety in the U.S.
Here are some key developments affecting our Afghan allies, plus ways Welcomers can stay informed to help refugees and newcomers in their communities.
Latest changes to TPS for Afghanistan
Latest changes, new legislation, and how to help
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was first granted to Afghan nationals living in the U.S. in May 2022, months after the Taliban takeover of Kabul. Many who applied arrived in the U.S. through Operation Allies Welcome, a 2021 initiative that allowed vulnerable Afghans, including those who worked alongside American troops, to enter the U.S. under humanitarian parole. At the time, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that the TPS designation was warranted due to security concerns such as armed conflict and extraordinary circumstances that included destruction of infrastructure, food insecurity, and human rights abuses.
TPS for Afghanistan ended on July 21, 2025, following a court order and termination by DHS—affecting an estimated 11,700 Afghans in the U.S. Then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem stated that the security and economic conditions in Afghanistan had improved significantly despite the State Department’s Level 4 - Do not travel warning.
On July 23, 2026, a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House of Representatives introduced the Afghanistan TPS Act of 2026 (HR 9899) to grant TPS to eligible Afghan nationals living in the U.S. until July 2029. A bipartisan Senate companion bill was introduced on Aug. 6, 2026. Neither bill has been voted on, so the proposed legislation has not restored TPS or employment authorization for Afghans who were previously protected under TPS.
You can encourage your members of Congress to support these bills here.
Afghans stranded in Qatar
Who is affected and what happens next
During the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Kabul, the U.S. government used an emergency legal process called humanitarian parole and other legal pathways to quickly welcome Afghan allies to safety in the U.S. However, the emergency airlift used to evacuate Afghans whose lives were immediately threatened could not reach everyone who had supported the U.S. mission. Many Afghan allies remained in hiding, in rural provinces, or unable to pass Taliban checkpoints.
In the years that followed, the U.S. government vetted and transported Afghan allies and their families to Camp As Sayliyah in Doha to complete immigration processing before their expected relocation to the U.S. More than 1,000 Afghans remain there today. Behind the numbers are children like 15-year-old Zahra who is living in the camp, waiting to see that commitment fulfilled.
These vetted individuals—including former combat translators, Special Operations partners, and direct family members of active duty U.S. military personnel—have been stranded in Camp As Sayliyah for over a year due to an ongoing suspension of refugee resettlement in the United States.
The U.S. government has mentioned its intentions to close the camp in the near future and is in talks with third countries, reportedly including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Botswana, and Malaysia, to accept these individuals and families as refugees. These third countries face their own internal crises and turmoil that place families in greater danger. Their only other alternative is returning to Afghanistan, where many face likely reprisal from the Taliban.
Recent court orders affecting Afghan immigration cases
Recent legal challenges have shifted the momentum for thousands of pending immigration applications. Two separate federal court rulings have ordered the U.S. government to resume Afghan immigration processing, each targeting different federal agencies.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) immigration applications
On June 5, 2026, a federal court issued a critical ruling in Dorcas International Institute v. USCIS, striking down policies that had broadly paused immigration benefit decisions for Afghans and nationals of other travel ban countries. The decision orders USCIS to resume adjudicating affected applications, including asylum, adjustment of status, naturalization, and employment authorization requests.
This ruling does not guarantee case approvals or bypass standard security screenings. While the government has appealed, its request to pause the court’s order was denied, meaning adjudications must proceed while the appeal is heard.
Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applications
In February 2026, a different federal court ruled in Afghan and Iraqi Allies v. Rubio that the State Department could not indefinitely stop processing certain long delayed SIV cases. As a result, the government must resume the Chief of Mission (COM) adjudications for affected class-action applicants—mainly Afghan and Iraqi applicants whose applications had already exceeded the congressionally established processing period of nine months, with many waiting four years or more. (A COM adjudication is the initial vetting process conducted by the Department of State to determine if an applicant qualifies for a SIV.)
While these rulings represent vital progress for some allies, they do not fully reopen Afghan immigration processing. The USCIS ruling applies strictly to applications filed by Afghans already inside the U.S., while the SIV ruling addresses part of the State Department’s overseas visa process. Afghan SIV applicants may continue advancing through certain processing stages, but current restrictions can still prevent final visa issuance, travel, or admission to the U.S.
Legislative updates
Bipartisan efforts to secure permanent legal status for Afghan allies continue to center on the Afghan Adjustment Act and key provisions within the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Despite bipartisan support, these pieces of legislation face steep hurdles and continued debate.
Status of the Afghan Adjustment Act and the Fulfilling Promises to Afghan Allies Act
The Afghan Adjustment Act—introduced as H.R. 4895 in the House and the substantively similar S. 2679, the Fulfilling Promises to Afghan Allies Act, in the Senate—are bipartisan bills that would allow eligible Afghan allies holding temporary legal status in the U.S. to apply for lawful permanent residence after additional security screening. Both bills have bipartisan support but remain stalled in their respective Judiciary Committees, with no markup or floor vote scheduled and no clear path to being signed into law in the current Congress.
Without the legislation, Afghan humanitarian parolees have no dedicated pathway to permanent residence and must qualify independently for asylum, an SIV, family-based immigration, or another existing status. While many allies have been able to temporarily reside in the U.S. via humanitarian parole or TPS, many continue to face uncertainty about their future. This legislation would grant them lasting safety and a reliable pathway to permanent residency.
Relevant National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) provisions affecting Afghan allies
The NDAA is a piece of legislation passed each year that sets policies and spending limits for the Department of Defense (DoD). Both the House and Senate pass their own versions of the bill before the two chambers reconcile a final bill. Because it’s deemed a “must-pass” bill, lawmakers often add extra non-defense provisions to it. The president usually signs the bill around December. The 2027 NDAA proposals include several critical measures for Afghan allies:
Senate Bill: Bars the forced transfer of Camp As Sayliyah residents to Afghanistan or unsafe third countries, creates a DoD program to preserve wartime service records for at-risk allies, and extends the Afghanistan War Commission’s reporting timeline.
House Bill: Extends the Afghanistan War Commission's reporting timeline and strictly prohibits federal funding to the Taliban or Afghan government.
