'A historic betrayal': Murkowski slams Trump administration revoking protections for Afghan immigrants [View all]
Source: Politico
05/30/2025 04:24 PM EDT
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) denounced the Trump administration’s decision to axe temporary protected status for Afghan immigrants — the latest break by the centrist Republican from President Donald Trump’s administration.
In a joint letter with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the senator urged the administration to reconsider the cancellation of the temporary protection, which affords Afghans a work permit and legal status in the U.S.
“This decision endangers thousands of lives, including Afghans who stood by the United States,” Murkowski and Shaheen — the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee — wrote. “This decision represents a historic betrayal of promises made and undermines the values we fought for far more than 20 years in Afghanistan.”
The letter — which was sent May 23 and released Friday — comes amid reports that the State Department is shuttering the office that coordinated Afghan resettlement for those who helped with the war effort, part of an agency-wide reorganization aligning with the Trump administration’s moves to reduce foreign aid and assistance and refocus on “America First” priorities.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/30/lisa-murkowski-trump-afghan-tps-00377222
Link to Senate Foreign Relations Committee
PRESS RELEASE -
Ranking Member Shaheen, Senator Murkowski Send Letter Condemning Termination of Temporary Protected Status for Afghan Nationals
Link to
LETTER (PDF) -
https://www.foreign.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/tps_letter.pdf