US veterans have slammed the Trump administration's decision to revoke deportation protections for Afghans who fled Taliban rule, claiming that it breaks America’s promises to its wartime allies and risks sending them to their deaths.
Earlier this month, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghan nationals, exposing thousands to possible deportation starting in July.
"If they attempt to deport the Afghans, you’re going to see actual physical conflict between veterans and ICE," warned Matt Zeller, an Army veteran whose Afghan interpreter saved his life and who now advocates for Afghan evacuees.
Over 10,000 Afghans are believed to be protected under TPS while seeking permanent legal status, a process that has been hindered by the chaotic 2021 US withdrawal and unclear immigration guidance during the Kabul evacuation.
"To me as a veteran, that’s incredibly offensive. If there was ever a country that deserves TPS, it is Afghanistan," said Andrew Sullivan, a former infantry commander who works with No One Left Behind, a nonprofit supporting Afghan and Iraqi allies.
The Trump administration claimed there had been "notable improvements" in Afghanistan's conditions under Taliban rule. But Sullivan branded that comments as "laughable", arguing that Afghans he met who were tortured for working with the US, including one left paraplegic.
According to the Human Rights Watch’s 2025 report, the Taliban has intensified its repression, especially against women and girls, with over half the population in need of urgent aid and millions facing extreme hunger.
Trump’s decision has prompted legal action from immigrant rights group CASA, which sued the administration for failing to follow proper legal procedures and putting lawful residents at risk.
Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran and president of #AfghanEvac, said: "These are people whose only 'crime' is having lived, learned or worked in the United States. And now, with TPS terminated and no viable pathway forward, they face an impossible choice: return to persecution or risk deportation from the very country they trusted.
"These are real lives, not talking points. The Taliban doesn’t do performance reviews. They don’t check résumés. They kill people for being associated with us."
Republican Congressman Brian Mast, who lost both legs while serving in Afghanistan, said only Afghans who worked directly on missions with US forces deserve protection. "Maybe they worked at [TGI] Fridays on a base as a waiter… That doesn’t mean they were out on missions with me," he said.
Despite support in past rescue efforts, Republicans in Congress, now holding the majority, have shown little willingness to challenge the administration on this issue.
The US Senate recently questioned the policy during a hearing, but answers from State Department officials were vague, with Senator Marco Rubio saying only that a review was "ongoing".