Lawmakers Launch Discharge Petition to Advance Afghanistan TPS Act and Protect Afghans

Reps. Jason Crow and Sam Liccardo filed a discharge petition on November 9, 2026, seeking a House vote on a bill to restore Temporary Protected Status for Afghans at risk of deportation. The petition needs 218 signatures to bring the measure to the floor.

The proposal would cover Afghan citizens already in the United States by July 1, 2029, if they pass biometric and security screening, according to Rep. Jared Golden’s office. The bill would restore protection through 2029. It has not become law.

Crow said the effort was about protecting Afghans who had supported U.S. forces.

“I’m working to force a vote that will protect Afghans already in the United States because I won’t let our nation leave these brave Afghans behind.”

The bill would restore temporary protection for eligible Afghans

Crow and Liccardo introduced the Afghanistan TPS Act of 2026 with Republican Reps. Don Bacon and Maria Elvira Salazar. The measure would restore TPS, which allows eligible people to live and work in the United States.

Liccardo’s office estimates the bill could restore protection for more than 9,000 Afghans. The proposal’s screening conditions apply to those it would cover. It does not make the protection current while Congress considers the bill.

Four Republicans have co-sponsored the measure: Bacon, Salazar, Joe Wilson and Morgan Luttrell. Rep. Kevin Kiley, who left the Republican Party and now serves as an independent, also supports it. More than 50 organizations have backed the bill, including Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Amnesty International USA.

Liccardo said the United States had made a promise to Afghans who risked their lives alongside American troops. He warned that removal could expose them to Taliban forces.

The petition can force consideration, but not passage

Reaching the signature threshold would move the bill to the House floor, bypassing Republican leadership. That step would secure a vote, not the bill’s passage.

• House petition: House Clerk records listed 21 signatures on November 9, including Bacon. The petition needs the required threshold to bring the measure forward.
• House passage: The bill would still need a majority vote in the House.
• Senate action: A separate version, introduced in August, has been referred to committee. Its prospects remain uncertain.

The petition process followed a procedural step Crow and Liccardo took on October 1, which allowed them to begin collecting signatures once they filed. Golden’s office said House Republican leadership had not brought the bill up for a vote as of November 12.

Afghan citizens who could meet the bill’s conditions would still need congressional approval before any restored protection could take effect. There is no change in status for them from the petition alone.

The effort follows the end of TPS and a deportation dispute

The Biden administration granted TPS to eligible Afghans in 2022, after the United States ended its military presence in the country the year before. The Trump administration formally announced the designation’s termination on May 12, 2025.

Then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Afghanistan’s security conditions had improved and its economy had stabilized. Crow and Liccardo have warned that Afghans who helped the United States could face retaliation by the Taliban if returned.

A separate removal dispute prompted a lawsuit. Project Rousseau filed an emergency case on November 2 after plans emerged to send nearly 150 Afghans to Pakistan, with onward transfer to Afghanistan.

Judge Valerie Caproni of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York temporarily blocked the plan on November 3. The proposed removals and the bill are separate proceedings. The court action did not resolve the legislative question.

Afghan citizens concerned about the proposal’s progress can watch the petition’s signature count and any House vote. A successful petition would put the bill before the chamber; the separate Senate measure remains in committee.

This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Consult a qualified immigration attorney about your specific case.