DHS Grants Afghans Temporary Status Under Immigration Law

As the U.S. government is rushing to evacuate tens of thousands of Afghans, the immigration status for these people remained unclear. To handle this huge number of incoming refugees, the Biden administration confirmed Friday that it is set to grant some temporary entry into the U.S.

According to the White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Friday, the Department of Homeland Security is now working with the federal government on the process of relocating evacuated Afghans to the U.S.

“Already, DHS has been working closely with agencies across government – including our military, diplomats, intelligence community and law enforcement professionals, and many others – to ensure all Afghans are screened and vetted prior to being allowed into the United States,” Psaki told reporters.

“Our security vetting process is so thorough that even as people are vetted before they come – they go through a background check before they come – we implement multiple layers of checks, including a confirmation in some cases on landing,” Psaki added. “This might include checking the manifest, and in a limited number of cases we have vetting process that are unresolved – very limited, but that may lead to a delay.”

As the due date for the U.S. withdrawal nears, nearly a hundred thousand people have been evacuated from Afghanistan, including 4,500 U.S. citizens.