Washington DC - President Donald Trump's administration moved Monday to end legal protections that temporarily shielded Afghans from being deported, citing an improved security situation in the Taliban-ruled country.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said the temporary protected status (TPS) designation for Afghanistan would expire on May 20, and the termination would take effect on July 12.

"We've reviewed the conditions in Afghanistan with our interagency partners, and they do not meet the requirements for a TPS designation," Noem said in a statement.

"Afghanistan has had an improved security situation, and its stabilizing economy no longer prevent them from returning to their home country."

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Federal law permits the government to grant TPS to foreign citizens who cannot safely return home because of war, natural disasters, or other "extraordinary" conditions.

Former Democratic President Joe Biden extended TPS protections for nationals of several countries just days before Trump returned to the White House in January.

Since taking office, Trump has moved to strip TPS protections from citizens of several countries, including Haiti and Venezuela, as part of his broader crackdown on immigration.

A federal judge in California put a temporary stay in March on plans to end TPS for the Venezuelan nationals and the Trump administration has appealed the decision to the Supreme Court.

In her statement, Noem said an additional reason to end TPS for Afghans was because "there are recipients who have been under investigation for fraud and threatening our public safety and national security."

According to the non-profit organization AfghanEvac, some 11,000 Afghans are currently covered by TPS in the US.

"The decision to terminate TPS for Afghanistan is not rooted in reality – it's rooted in politics," said Shawn VanDiver, president of AfghanEvac.

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"Afghanistan remains under the control of the Taliban," VanDiver, a US military veteran, said in a statement.

"There is no functioning asylum system. There are still assassinations, arbitrary arrests, and ongoing human rights abuses, especially against women and ethnic minorities.

"What the administration has done today is betray people who risked their lives for America, built lives here, and believed in our promises."

Thousands of other Afghans, including many who worked with the US military or for the deposed Afghan government, were granted special immigrant visas to the US following the August 2021 Taliban takeover.