The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday that it had extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Afghan citizens living in the US as of March 15.

“This TPS designation will help to protect Afghan nationals who have already been living in the United States from returning to unsafe conditions,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement.

“Under this designation, TPS will also provide additional protections and assurances to trusted partners and vulnerable Afghans who supported the US military, diplomatic, and humanitarian missions in Afghanistan over 20 years.” 

To be eligible for TPS, Afghans in the US must meet requirements including passing security and background checks. The designation will be in effect for 18 months. 

DHS’s announcement comes one month after Operation Allies Welcome — the federal government’s coordinated effort to support and resettle Afghan refugees — announced the final departure of evacuees from US military bases to communities across the country.

Since the chaotic US military withdrawal and the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan last August, approximately 84,600 Afghan nationals, American citizens and lawful permanent residents were flown to the US. 

In February, DHS announced that more than 76,000 Afghan nationals had been resettled in the US. 

In order to enter America, evacuees were subject to a multi-layered vetting process that included biometric and biographic screening. They also had to receive age-appropriate vaccinations. 

The US’s effort to evacuate and resettle Afghan nationals was heavily criticized in the fall after the Biden administration failed to get out all US citizens and Afghan allies before the military withdrawal was completed Aug. 30. 

In the months that followed, many volunteer organizations such as No One Left Behind and Task Force Argo worked to help evacuate thousands of people who still wished to leave the embattled country.

In December, No One Left Behind told The Post that it was tracking more than 10,000 Afghans who are either eligible for, applied for, or were approved for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) and had requested help getting out of Taliban-controlled territory. In addition, the organization said it was tracking another 38,000 family members of SIV holders or applicants who were in Afghanistan and had asked for aid.

Earlier this year, reports indicated the White House was trying to speed up the resettlement process for Afghan refugees and blaming the Trump administration for what it called a “broken system” of refugee resettlement.

To push rapid resettlement of Afghans this past fall, the US mainly used humanitarian parole, which does not guarantee a special immigrant visa, asylum or green card after two years. 

The designation for TPS for Afghan refugees comes as millions of Ukrainians flee their country with Russia’s brutal invasion ending its third week. 

More than 3 million refugees have evacuated the country, largely fleeing to neighboring European countries.

It is unclear if the US will expedite the resettlement process for Ukrainian refugees as it did for Afghans. Earlier this month, DHS extended TPS for Ukrainians living in the US.