SILVER SPRING, Maryland – The Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC), is gravely concerned about the administration's decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghanistan, effective July 14. As many as 9,000 Afghans in the United States are reliant on this temporary status to protect them from deportation.

"This is a shameful decision that will put many lives at risk, including those of people who have courageously served the United States," said Anna Gallagher, CLINIC's executive director. "CLINIC's member organizations continue to serve Afghan clients who are deeply afraid to return to the country and whose family members back home are begging to get out for fear of their lives. Women and girls are particularly targeted for human rights abuses. Members of the national security community and others on the ground continue to state that a TPS designation is highly warranted given country conditions, so it is alarming to see the administration make the choice to terminate this vital protection for Afghans living in the United States. As a Catholic organization concerned for the protection of all life, we call on the administration to reconsider immediately and to provide further legal pathways for Afghan allies and others who fled the Taliban rule."