The Biden administration is set to extend the legal status of Afghan evacuees as Congress has failed to pass a measure of its own, according to a report.
Tens of thousands of Afghans evacuated to the U.S. after the takeover of their country by the Taliban will be able to apply for two additional years of legal status, CBS News reported Monday. The Department of Homeland Security will reportedly extend its use of immigration policies to renew work permits and humanitarian exceptions to Afghan migrants that were set to expire this summer after the first wave of immigration from the Taliban in 2021.
Congressional efforts to make these Afghan evacuees permanent residents in the U.S. have stalled over security concerns.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will begin to take applications from Afghan evacuees in June to extend their parole status, CBS reported based on anonymous sources familiar with the plan. The agency plans to establish five help centers for evacuees to connect them with lawyers and job resources.
Nearly 80,000 Afghans were brought to the U.S. after the Taliban takeover. The Biden administration vetted the evacuees overseas.
Similar immigration policies were utilized by the Biden administration in March to extend the stay of Ukrainian refugees to remain in the U.S.
The Biden administration evacuated the U.S. presence in Afghanistan in 2021. Thirteen American service members died after a bomb blast amid the evacuation efforts at the Kabul airport.