White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt delivered a forceful response to a reporter on Tuesday when questioned about the administration’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghans, including several hundred Christians at risk of severe persecution under the Taliban.
The exchange focused on the fate of roughly 9,000 Afghans—many of them Christians—who now face possible deportation after the termination of the TPS program, which had been put in place under the Biden administration. “The administration ended some temporary protections for Afghans, including several hundred Christians who have been punished by the Taliban. Is the President considering any exceptions for Afghans who could face death or torture if they return to their home country?” the reporter asked.
Leavitt didn’t hesitate: “So let’s just be clear about one thing: We didn’t end that proactively,” she said. “It expired. And it’s because the previous administration illegally paroled hundreds of thousands of people into the country and then gave them temporary protective status, which, again, is a temporary status. It’s not a permanent status in this country.” Several humanitarian organizations, including World Relief and the Enduring Hope Alliance, have called on the Trump administration to reconsider its decision, describing it as a matter of life and death for those impacted. However, Leavitt made it clear that the administration has no plans to reverse course.
“If there are individuals here who came in through the Biden administration who want to claim asylum, there is a legal process to do that, and those cases will be adjudicated by a judge on a case-by-case basis,” she said, while also noting that the administration is providing those affected by the policy to pursue other legal avenues, such as asylum or Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs), and has encouraged those in need to seek help from legal aid groups.
The administration’s position is based on what officials describe as a return to lawful immigration procedures. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Afghanistan no longer meets the legal criteria for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which is designated for countries experiencing armed conflict, environmental disasters, or other extraordinary conditions. Leavitt emphasized that the decision is not about targeting Afghans or Christians but about restoring order to a system that, she claimed, was misused under former President Biden’s administration. “We have a legal immigration process in this country for a reason, and all this administration is trying to do is effectuate that,” she stated firmly.