Liccardo & Crow Launch Discharge Petition to Force Vote on Protections for Afghan Allies

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressmen Sam Liccardo (CA-16) Jason Crow (CO-06) filed a discharge petition to force a House vote on the bipartisan Afghanistan TPS Act of 2026 , legislation that would restore Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 9,000 Afghans at risk of deportation after the Trump administration stripped their protections last year. Upon securing 218 signatures, the discharge petition will bypass House leadership and bring the bipartisan legislation to the House Floor for a vote.
Congressman Sam Liccardo released the following statement:
“This is about America keeping our word. Thousands of Afghans risked their lives alongside American troops because our country made them a promise: We would not abandon them. Now, we risk sending them back into the hands of the very Taliban forces they helped us fight. This cannot wait until the Democratic majority takes over—we need to reinstate Temporary Protected Status immediately and keep our friends safe.”
Congressman Jason Crow released the following statement:
“Our Afghan partners put their lives on the line to help protect American servicemembers like me. After more than two decades of war, we made a promise that we’d look after them. It’s both a moral and national security imperative that we keep that promise. I’m working to force a vote that will protect Afghans already in the United States because I won’t let our nation leave these brave Afghans behind.”
After the withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Department of Homeland Security granted more than 9,000 Afghans Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to seek refuge in the United States. Many of these individuals served alongside U.S. forces, making them particularly vulnerable to Taliban retaliation if deported.
On May 12, 2025, the Trump administration formally announced the termination of TPS for Afghanistan leaving thousands of Afghans at risk of deportation. The deadly impacts have already begun. Other Afghans facing deportation have expressed they’d rather take their own lives than return and face the Taliban’s wrath. Last week, the Trump administration began the process of deporting Afghan refugees . A federal judge in New York blocked the move which would have put Afghan refugees directly in the Taliban’s path. Liccardo and Crow’s discharge petition will be critical for the continued protection of our allies.
Read the full bill here.