US appeals court temporarily halts deportation of Afghan refugees.
The US appeals court has temporarily halted deportation proceedings for Afghan refugees with Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
The decision was made on Monday, July 14, the last day of the deadline for revoking TPS status. The court’s ruling delayed the deportation of the refugees for a week to allow time for appeals.
The nonprofit organization CASA, which advocates for immigrants, has filed a lawsuit against the US government challenging the revocation of protected status.
A federal judge has granted the lawsuit, giving CASA and the US Department of Homeland Security until the end of the week to file their defenses.
The US Department of Homeland Security had previously announced that TPS status had ended for a group of Afghan refugees and that they were to be deported. But the new court ruling has prevented the immediate implementation of this decision.
Currently, nearly 12,000 Afghan refugees are covered by TPS. The cancellation of this status has been met with widespread reactions from human rights organizations, as well as the Afghan refugee community.
The appeals court has not yet provided further details about the reason for the ruling, but has announced that a final decision on the matter will be issued soon.
