Key Takeaways
• 14,600 Afghans lost Temporary Protected Status in May 2025, facing immediate deportation risk.
• Taliban-controlled Afghanistan remains dangerous; returnees report torture, arbitrary detention, and threats from the regime.
• Human rights groups warn forced return violates safety commitments and places Afghans’ lives directly at risk.
Thousands of Afghans living in the United States 🇺🇸 are currently facing a deep and life-changing fear: the very real risk of being sent back to Afghanistan 🇦🇫, a country now fully controlled by the Taliban. It’s not just the loss of their homes in the U.S. that worries them. Many believe that, if forced to return, they might face torture, jail, or even death simply because of who they are, what they did in their past, or whom they worked for during the long war in their homeland.
This fear is not based only on rumors or secondhand stories. Over the last few years, many trusted world organizations have raised strong alarms about what’s happening in Afghanistan 🇦🇫 under the Taliban. These reports show why so many Afghans see deportation as a deep danger, not just an unwanted move.
Why Are So Many Afghans Afraid to Return to Afghanistan?
After two decades of war, the U.S. military left Afghanistan 🇦🇫 in 2021. Soon after, the Taliban took total control of the country. Since then, Afghan people connected to the previous Afghan government or the U.S. military have been in trouble. Many of those now living in the United States 🇺🇸—and at risk of losing their Temporary Protected Status (TPS)—were helpers, translators, drivers, or workers for the American forces during the war. The Taliban sees them as traitors or enemies, making them easy targets for revenge.
Working With the U.S. Led to Fear and Danger
During the war years, thousands of Afghans supported American efforts. They often served as translators, guides, advisors, or support staff for American soldiers and workers. Their work was public and, in many cases, well known in their communities. When the Taliban took control, these same men and women were among the first at risk. Many received threats, while several reports document cases of people being hunted down. The Taliban has simply not forgotten or forgiven anyone seen as a “collaborator.”
Human Rights Abuses Make Return Extremely Risky
Reports from groups like the United Nations and Amnesty International call the present situation in Afghanistan 🇦🇫 a humanitarian crisis. The Taliban have been accused of “institutionalized persecution”—meaning attacks and punishments that are not random, but a part of the way the Taliban now runs the country. Brutal acts, like torture, jail without reason, and even killings, have been reported over and over. The UN’s Richard Bennett, Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan, has described the daily experience Afghans face as “repression under a system designed to silence, control, and punish.”
Women and minorities suffer even more. The Taliban now keeps women out of almost all public life. Girls can’t continue school after primary grades. Women can’t work, join in politics, or even walk outside without strict rules. For ethnic groups like the Hazaras, violence and threats come not just from the Taliban but from other armed groups, too.
Arbitrary Detention, Torture, and Death
One of the most disturbing problems is arbitrary detention, which means being arrested and taken away with no real reason or formal charges. The UN recorded many cases of former government workers and security staff being picked up, beaten, tortured, and sometimes killed. Amnesty International found proof that people sent back to Afghanistan 🇦🇫 were often questioned harshly by Taliban officials almost as soon as they arrived.
In a statement made in April 2025, Amnesty International wrote: “Returning [to Afghanistan] would mean almost certain death for many refugees.” This warning is not casual; it’s a judgement made after many cases of past abuse and violence.
What’s Changing in U.S. Policy for Afghans?
Up until now, Afghans have received certain protections in the United States 🇺🇸, most notably Temporary Protected Status (TPS). This protection lets people stay in the country for a set time when their own country is too unsafe to return to—due to war, disaster, or other problems that make life at home deadly or impossible.
End of Temporary Protected Status for Afghans
Recently, the Trump administration announced the end of TPS for Afghans. This change took effect in May 2025. That means Afghans who depended on this status to live and work legally in the U.S. now face deportation. According to published facts, about 14,600 Afghans lost their TPS in the month following the decision. Losing TPS instantly exposes them to possible removal—even though Afghanistan 🇦🇫 remains very unsafe.
At the same time, some Afghans who came to the United States 🇺🇸 after the Taliban takeover in 2021 were allowed to stay under a different rule called “humanitarian parole.” This process, while it helped thousands escape, was never meant to be forever. Now, reports say that some Afghans with humanitarian parole are getting sudden notices: they have just days to leave the U.S., with little warning or explanation.
The real number of people affected is unclear, but what’s certain is that even a single order to leave can mean a life in danger. Many groups working with immigrants, including legal help organizations, call the process confusing and rushed.
The U.S. Government’s Ongoing Role
Organizations like World Relief and HIAS, which help refugees and immigrants, have asked the government to keep protections for Afghans in place. They point out that sending people back now is not just risky but could lead to violence or death. Analysis from VisaVerge.com suggests that these groups are not only worried about the law but about plain human safety—pointing out that returning people to such a dangerous place does not fit with American values or international promises.
While some American officials talk about making exceptions for certain groups—like Christians or those under direct threat—the current rules still leave many at risk. Without clear and lasting protection, these Afghans, already far from home, now feel the ground slipping away beneath them.
Who Is Most at Risk?
It is not just those who worked as translators or in official jobs who could be in danger upon return to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan 🇦🇫. Anyone who:
- Worked for U.S. military, government, or aid agencies
- Publicly supported women’s or minority rights
- Was part of the former Afghan government
- Belongs to an ethnic or religious minority
- Is simply a woman or girl wanting education and freedom
could end up facing threats.
The “crime” for many is simply wanting to live free, learn, or work—basic things now stopped or tightly limited by the Taliban.
What Do Human Rights Groups and Legal Experts Say?
Over and over, global groups and lawyers have said that returning Afghans to their homeland at this moment breaks basic rules about safety and human dignity. Under world law, no one should be sent somewhere they are likely to face torture, cruel treatment, or death.
World Relief, one of the organizations helping Afghans, made it clear: “The termination of Temporary Protected Status for Afghans… is a direct danger to those whose lives are at risk.” Their statement, along with voices from Amnesty International and the United Nations, supports the simple idea that the current situation in Afghanistan 🇦🇫 is just too dangerous.
To learn more about Temporary Protected Status and how it works, you can visit the official USCIS page for Afghan nationals.
The Broader Picture: Afghanistan Under the Taliban
Many find it hard to keep up with all the changes in Afghanistan 🇦🇫. The truth is, after the Taliban returned to power, most freedoms were lost in a matter of weeks. Here’s a short summary of what life under the Taliban now looks like:
- Girls cannot attend middle or high school; most women cannot work outside homes.
- Public protests against Taliban rule are met with violence or arrests.
- Ethnic groups like the Hazaras face regular attacks and threats.
- Any connection to the old government or foreign organizations may be grounds for arrest.
- Reports of torture and sudden killings have continued through 2025.
This climate of fear is why so many Afghans in the U.S. stay awake at night, worrying about the future.
What’s at Stake for Afghans, the U.S., and the World?
For Afghans living in the U.S., losing TPS or humanitarian parole could be more than a legal problem. It could mean being forced to leave safe communities, schools, and jobs and heading back into a country where violence is common and the Taliban’s grip is only getting stronger.
For the United States 🇺🇸, this is also a test of policy and values. The decision to end protections while the Taliban continues harsh rule sends a message to the world about what kind of safety America offers to those who helped it or share its values.
Humanitarian groups say the answer is clear: sending people back now creates risk for lives, damages the U.S.’s image as a safe haven, and can make future efforts to help more people even harder.
What Are Afghans in the U.S. Calling For?
Afghans now living in America are asking for two main things:
- Continued Safety: They want to stay in a place where they do not face daily threats of violence.
- Long-term Legal Status: Many hope for a lasting solution, such as resettlement or permanent residency, that lets them build solid futures without fear.
They are not asking for special favors, say support groups, but simply for a chance to live safely while their home country remains unsafe.
Moving Forward: What Can Happen Next?
The debate over Afghan protections is far from settled. Congress, courts, and different parts of the U.S. government could still act to grant new protections or bring back TPS. Some lawmakers are pushing for laws that would offer Afghans, especially those who helped U.S. missions, a way to stay permanently.
Meanwhile, world organizations will keep watching—and reporting—on what’s happening inside Afghanistan 🇦🇫 and urging all countries, not just the U.S., not to send people back into harm’s way.
Conclusion: A Life-or-Death Matter for Thousands
The United States 🇺🇸 holds the fate of thousands of Afghans in its hands. The loss of Temporary Protected Status means many may now face forced return to Afghanistan 🇦🇫, despite ongoing violence, repression, and a clear record of abuse by the Taliban.
As shown in the recent findings and statements by Amnesty International and the United Nations, the risks are not small or imagined. For many Afghans in the U.S., being deported is not just losing a home, but possibly facing torture or death. Policy decisions made now will shape not just individual lives, but America’s reputation and future obligations around the world.
For Afghans, the hope is simple: to remain in safety until a time comes when Afghanistan 🇦🇫 is again a place where freedom and dignity are possible for all its people.
Learn Today
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) → A U.S. legal status letting people from unsafe countries stay and work temporarily during conflict or disaster.
Humanitarian Parole → Short-term U.S. entry permission for urgent cases, like fleeing conflict, without a permanent immigration pathway.
Arbitrary Detention → The act of arresting and holding people without reasonable legal grounds or formal charges, often with abuse.
Special Rapporteur → A United Nations-appointed expert who investigates and reports on specific human rights situations worldwide.
Institutionalized Persecution → Ongoing, systematic abuse by authorities—such as torture, jail, or killings—targeted at specific groups as official policy.
This Article in a Nutshell
The end of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) drastically affects thousands of Afghans in the United States. With Afghanistan under Taliban control, deportation means exposure to violence, torture, and persecution. Advocacy groups urge continued protections, warning that policy changes now threaten lives and America’s commitment to humanitarian values. The situation remains urgent and unresolved.
— By VisaVerge.com
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