Durbin Speaks Out Against Trump Administration's Termination Of Temporary Protected Status For Afghan Nationals In The U.S.
Durbin: I'm sorry that the Afghans who risked their lives to help our troops are now being abandoned by the Trump Administration
WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke out against the Trump Administration for terminating Temporary Protected Status (TPS) forAfghan nationals in the United States. TPS was first designated for Afghans under the previous administration in 2022 after the U.S. withdraw from Afghanistan, marking the end of America’s longest war.
Durbin said, “For over two decades, tens of thousands of Afghan civilians worked alongside our military and diplomats. Make no mistake: they were risking their lives to help us, and they face the possibility of retribution in their own country. I saw firsthand during a visit to Afghanistan some years ago just how these Afghans were making that courageous sacrifice and the lives of their families were also in danger. In return, we promised to the Afghans who risked their lives to help our troops that we would keep them safe—safe from retaliation. We opened our arms to welcome others similarly fleeing brutal conditions under the Taliban.”
Durbin continued, “Listen to this carefully: this State Department, our State Department has put out a notice that Americans should not travel to Afghanistan because it’s too dangerous. So why are we facing a situation where this Trump Administration is going to eliminate Temporary Protected Status for the Afghans in the United States, including those who risked their lives to help our troops? Why would we send them back to a country so dangerous we warn Americans not to visit? We’re also planning on closing, according to President Trump, the very office of the Department of State that protects these vulnerable Afghans here in the United States.”
Durbin concluded, “Now with the lifting of this TPS designation, these Afghans already legally in the United States, including some who risked their lives to help us, they face detention and deportation returning to horrific conditions in their homeland. I urge the President in the strongest terms to reconsider this… I think most Americans [believe] that Afghans who risk their lives to help our troops deserve better than to be forced to return to the dangers of Afghanistan. This decision is a sad one for America. I think we’re better than this and I’m sorry that the Afghans who risked their lives to help our troops are now being abandoned by the Trump Administration.”
On Friday, Durbin joined U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Congressman Glenn Ivey (D-MD-04) in a letter pressing U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio for answers on the Trump Administration’s inconsistent policies regarding Afghanistan and the legal status of Afghan nationals living in the U.S. – many of whom played important roles in supporting American service members during the war in Afghanistan over two decades. In the letter, the lawmakers pointed out that the justifications for the decisions to implement a large-scale travel ban, which applies to Afghanistan, and terminate Temporary Protected Status conflict with one another. The lawmakers asked Secretary Rubio how the State Department arrived at these determinations and whether it can guarantee that Afghans who may be forced to leave the U.S. will not face danger upon their return to their home country—should the termination of Afghanistan’s TPS designation be upheld.
Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.
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