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A group that once campaigned to put Donald Trump in the White House now says they feel abandoned by his administration’s decision to revoke legal protections for thousands of Afghan refugees living in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
Zoubair Sangi, the leader of the "Afghans for Trump" movement, formed after the chaotic 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, said his community turned to Trump after the Biden administration’s exit left their homeland in turmoil.
Now, he is urging the president to reconsider.
"The reality is that Afghanistan is not safe," Sangi told Fox News. "Over the last three years, since the return of the Taliban, the country has been as dangerous as ever."
He said the Department of Homeland Security’s claim of an "improved security situation" fails to reflect the reality on the ground.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban-appointed deputy prime minister for economic affairs, center, inspects the honor guards during a military parade to mark the third anniversary of the withdrawal of U.S.-led troops from Afghanistan, in Bagram Air Base in the Parwan Province of Afghanistan, on Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Siddiqullah Alizai)
"The Taliban, at the end of the day, are a terrorist group," he said. "They target anyone who disagrees with them – anyone who worked with the U.S. government or allied forces. Their lives are in grave danger."
Sangi added that women face especially grim conditions in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, where they are banned from education and public life without a male escort.
"They view women as subservient. They treat them worse than cattle," he said. "There is no freedom for ordinary Afghans. It’s a prison. People are essentially under house arrest, and they can’t escape."
Despite his frustration, Sangi said he has not withdrawn his support for Trump – but he is pleading with him to rethink the decision. "We do have hope that any kind of mistake that is made specifically in regards to Afghanistan will be corrected."
He praised Trump for refusing to recognize the Taliban and ending foreign aid to Afghanistan that fell into their hands, and he urged him not to strike any deals.
"The Taliban mock America, reject your demands for the return of our $7 billion in military equipment, and harbor terrorists who threaten our homeland," said Sangi. "Engaging with them isn’t America First."
Members and supporters of the Taliban stand on a U.S. flag as they hold a rally to mark the third anniversary of the fall of Kabul, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 14, 2024. (REUTERS/Sayed Hassib)
On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security officially ended TPS for Afghan nationals, potentially forcing more than 9,000 individuals to return to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem cited an "improved security situation" and a stabilizing economy as justification.
"This administration is returning TPS to its original, temporary intent," Noem said. "We’ve reviewed the conditions in Afghanistan with our interagency partners, and they do not meet the requirements for a TPS designation."
Afghans’ protected status is set to expire on May 20, with the program formally ending on July 12. Noem added that terminating the designation aligns with the administration’s broader goal of rooting out fraud and national security threats in the immigration system.
TPS allows foreign nationals from countries facing armed conflict, natural disasters or other emergencies to live and work legally in the U.S. Then-President Joe Biden had originally designated Afghanistan for TPS following the Taliban’s takeover in 2021.
While many Afghans who assisted the U.S. military during the two-decade war arrived under the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program, others – including former Afghan government workers and those tied to U.S. missions – entered under TPS amid the post-withdrawal chaos. These individuals now face potential deportation.
Western forces work to evacuate people as Kabul falls to the Taliban in 2021. (MoD Crown Copyright via Getty Images)
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Former Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Mike McCaul argued against the assertion that the security situation had improved, and urged the administration against moving to revoke the immigration status of Afghans here on SIVs or P1 and P2 visas.
The Taliban, he said, "have made their thirst for retribution against those who help the United States clear. Until they demonstrate substantial behavorial changes, I urge the administration to continue prioritizing the safety of the Afghan men and women who risked their lives to help our troops."
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and DHS with requests for comment.
