Kaine Applauds Biden Administration Announcement of TPS for Afghans

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement applauding the Department of Homeland Security announcement that Afghans in the United States would receive Temporary Protected Status (TPS):

“This is an important step to help protect Afghans in the U.S., and I’m proud that Virginia has been leading the way to support our Afghan community. I want to thank President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas for taking this step, and I hope to continue working with the Biden Administration to look for ways to help Afghans in the U.S. and abroad, including those who fought side by side with Americans over the last two decades.”

This TPS announcement will cover individuals who are already residing in the United States as of March 15, 2022, and the TPS period will last for 18 months.

Kaine has long supported efforts to help Afghans both inside and outside the United States. In July, Kaine helped pass supplemental security spending package which included $1.125 billion for Afghan refugee assistance and other key parts of the bipartisan Afghan Allies Protection Act, legislation Kaine cosponsored to help protect the Afghan civilians who risked their lives to support the U.S. mission. This legislation included an increase in the number of authorized Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) for Afghans – another program which Kaine has been a champion of.

Kaine has also long been a strong advocate for the TPS program. In 2021, he and Senator Mark R. Warner urged the Biden Administration to grant TPS re-designations for El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua, in addition to a new TPS designation for Guatemala. In 2020, they urged the Biden Administration to protect all TPS recipients in Virginia after the Trump Administration’s efforts to terminate the program. 

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