WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today introduced the Afghanistan TPS Act of 2026, legislation to protect eligible Afghan nationals already living in the United States from being forced to return to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan by granting them Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a successful and bipartisan multi-decade program to help immigrants from nations impacted by armed conflict, natural disasters, or other severe humanitarian crises.

Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) joined Senators Coons and Murkowski in introducing the legislation. A bipartisan companion bill was introduced in the House of Representatives by Jason Crow (D-Colo.), Sam Liccardo (D-Calif.), Don Bacon (R-Neb.), and María Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.).

"We owe an enormous debt to the Afghans who supported U.S. forces during their 20-year mission in Afghanistan," said Senator Coons. "In exchange for that huge risk to themselves and their families, we promised them protection, protection that is more important than ever in light of the crises that have been created across their home country by the Taliban's authoritarian regime. I'm grateful to Senator Murkowski for helping lead this bipartisan bill to ensure properly vetted Afghans are welcomed in the United States and protected from the imminent danger the Taliban would pose to them if they were forced back across the world."

"Ensuring the safety of Afghan nationals who bravely fought side by side with U.S. Armed Forces against the Taliban is not only a moral obligation, but also extends to our national security interests. Failing to do so would undermine the credibility of future U.S. commitments to those who stand alongside us in times of strife," said Senator Murkowski. "That's why I joined Senator Coons in developing this narrowly tailored legislation, which provides TPS protection only to those Afghans who have already been living in the United States, have cleared rigorous national security background checks, and would require additional security evaluations when necessary. Forcing these individuals to return to the Taliban before it is safe in Afghanistan would be an egregious breach of the trust and commitment to those who risked everything to fight for their freedom."

"We must keep our covenant with the Afghans who served beside us, risking everything - often at great personal expense to themselves and their families - to further America's mission," said Senator Klobuchar. "Our bipartisan legislation will help ensure Afghan allies can safely remain in the country. It's important to do what we can to help our Afghan friends find stability, opportunity, and community in their new home."

The bill would designate Afghanistan under TPS through July 1, 2029, allowing eligible Afghan nationals already in the United States to continue living and working here temporarily. Applicants would be required to submit biometric and biographic information and complete applicable criminal and national-security background checks. The bill comes upon the fifth anniversary of the withdrawal from Afghanistan and as Afghanistan continues to face a severe humanitarian and human rights crisis under Taliban rule. Many Afghans who have come to America in recent years aided U.S. and NATO troops and would put themselves and their families at great risk if forced to return to the country. However, last year, the Department of Homeland Security terminated Afghanistan's TPS designation, stripping eligible Afghans of their legal status and work authorization and potentially forcing them to return to a dangerous environment.

First created during the George H.W. Bush administration, TPS allows the federal government to grant short-term work permits and a shield from deportation to immigrants from specific, named countries where returning citizens would put them in serious danger. The Trump administration has sought to end most TPS programs, which could lead to the deportation of hundreds of thousands of migrants from four different continents.

The Afghanistan TPS Act would:

1. Designate Afghanistan for Temporary Protected Status through July 1, 2029;
2. Allow eligible Afghan nationals already in the United States to apply for temporary protection and employment authorization
3. Require applicants to undergo biometric, biographic, criminal and national-security background checks;
4. Require applications to be adjudicated within 90 days, with limited extensions when additional national-security review is necessary; and
5. Permit eligible applicants to request waivers of associated filing fees.

The legislation is endorsed by AfghanEvac, No One Left Behind, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Global Refuge, Refugees International, Afghan-American Foundation, Afghans for a Better Tomorrow, International Refugee Assistance Project, International Rescue Committee, Church World Service, Human Rights First, HIAS, Refugee Congress, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Team America Relief, The Lamia Afghan Foundation, World Relief; New Life Church, Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, Center for Refugee Services, International Institute of New England, Afghan Promise, Afghan Community Cultural Center - Texas, Afghan Labor Advocacy Network, World Hazara Council USA, Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California, Austin Jews and Partners for Refugees, California Hazara Community, Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice, Red T, Refugee Advocacy Lab, REACT DC, New Neighbor Interfaith Alliance, Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Justice, Massachusetts Afghan Alliance, Immigrant Defenders Law Center, Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, Hearts & Homes for Refugees, New Milford Area Rotary, and more.

"America made a promise to the Afghans who stood with us, and Senators Coons and Murkowski are helping keep it, joined by Senators Cassidy and Klobuchar. This bill is simple and overdue. It shields vetted Afghan allies from deportation to a country run by the Taliban that wants them dead, and it lets them keep working and supporting their families while they're here," said Shawn VanDiver, President of AfghanEvac. "These are people who are already in our communities, already vetted, and already contributing. Temporary Protected Status is a bridge, not a path to citizenship, and it comes with full national-security vetting and a hard deadline for DHS to act. That two Democrats and two Republicans are leading this together shows keeping our word to our allies was never a partisan question. We're grateful to all four senators, and we urge their colleagues to move quickly, because our allies cannot afford for the Senate to wait."

"Afghan partners took extraordinary risks on our behalf for twenty years, and the ongoing threats to their lives in Afghanistan are well documented. How we treat them now determines whether America has the same support in the next national security conflict. Sending people who worked and sacrificed for the United States back to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan hands our adversaries a propaganda win and unnecessarily puts our allies at risk," said Andrew Sullivan, Executive Director of No One Left Behind. "This bipartisan bill, alongside the House companion, promotes national security by enforcing rigorous vetting and thorough security checks while protecting vetted Afghan nationals. No One Left Behind is proud to endorse this legislation, and we thank Senators Coons and Murkowski for their bipartisan work behind it."

"Newly arrived Afghans are pillars in their communities across the United States. Many of them served alongside American service members during the mission while others fought for democracy and women's rights. Now, they are under attack and at risk of detention and deportation for no other reason than their country of origin," said Arash Azizzada, Executive Director for Afghans For A Better Tomorrow. "Afghans deserve much-needed protections and Congress must act to pass this bipartisan, critical and life-saving legislation. Afghans cannot wait a day longer without passage of the Afghanistan TPS Act."

"IAVA will always stand by our Afghan Allies. We have always said that our national security and credibility as a moral nation depends on how we treat those who saved countless lives of men and women in uniform for over two decades in Afghanistan combat," said Dr. Kyleanne Hunter, CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). "We are encouraged by Senator Coons and Senator Murkowski joining the fight to uphold our promise to our Allies and for introducing a Senate companion to the Afghanistan TPS of 2026. We're hopeful this is a meaningful stepping stone towards a lasting pathway to citizenship and thankful to Congress for acknowledging this need, which has remained unanswered for too long."

"Afghans seeking safety in the United States have endured years of upheaval, displacement, and danger that no family should ever have to navigate. The situation inside Afghanistan has only grown more dire - widespread hunger, collapsing public services, and the near-total erasure of women's rights have created one of the world's most severe humanitarian emergencies," said Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, President and CEO of Global Refuge. "Offering Temporary Protected Status to Afghans who have built their lives here is not only lawful and necessary - it is a reaffirmation that America does not turn its back on people who sought refuge in moments of crisis. And it does not forget its commitments to its allies and partners. I commend the bipartisan and principled leadership behind this bill and urge Congress to move swiftly to provide the stability and safety these individuals deserve."

"Making promises to vulnerable Afghans is the minimum that our country can do to stand alongside those who have supported our country in so many ways. The Afghanistan TPS Act gives vetted Afghans who are already here the stability to work, support their families, and live without the fear of deportation," said Beth Oppenheim, CEO of HIAS. "HIAS is proud to stand behind this bipartisan bill, because welcoming the stranger and protecting the vulnerable are not partisan values, they are enduring American ones."

"The Afghanistan of today is a stark departure from the country that so many Afghans and Americans sacrificed to build after 2001. Women and girls have been systematically erased from public life, nearly half the population depends on humanitarian assistance, and a collapsing healthcare system struggles to provide even the most basic care. These are not distortions, they are documented facts," said Mohammed Naeem, Senior Director for Advocacy Strategy at Refugees International. "We are grateful to Senators Coons, Murkowski, Klobuchar, and Cassidy for answering the call and introducing this critical bill. Without its passage, we risk sending Afghan families back to conditions defined by dehumanization, deprivation, and despair. That is not the promise we made to our Afghan allies. Congress can instead reaffirm that America is a nation that honors its word-and that our word does not end when the headlines fade."

Full text of the legislation is available here.