(Axios) The Department of Homeland Security and State Department announced on Tuesday that they would expand the number of terrorism-related exemptions to allow Afghan evacuees who worked with and supported the U.S. government to qualify for protection and immigration benefits.
Why it matters: Existing exemptions from terrorism-related inadmissibility grounds (TRIG) include providing material support under duress and voluntary medical care to terrorist groups.
- Exemptions have been used more than 30 times by previous administrations, including in 2019 when the Trump administration invoked it for immigration applicants who had ties with the Lebanese Forces or Kataeb Militias during the Lebanese Civil War, according to the DHS statement.
