The Trump administration said that despite rights groups and lawmakers warning that Afghan refugees can return to Afghanistan safely, Afghans, known as U.S. military work, face threats of persecution, imprisonment and even executions from the Taliban regime.

The Department of Homeland Security announced on Monday that it divested legal protections for thousands of Afghans in the United States, saying that the security and economic situation in Afghanistan is no longer justified to grant them temporary protected identities or TPS.

"We have reviewed the conditions in Afghanistan with our inter-agency partners, which do not meet the requirements specified by the TPS," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement.

"The security situation in Afghanistan has improved, and its stable economy is no longer stable," she said.

Homeland Security officials had previously said plans to cancel the temporary protection of Afghans, but were not officially revoked until Monday.

Lawmakers and rights groups say the Trump administration's decision will put the lives of thousands of Afghans at risk, betraying their partners, who risk their lives to work for the U.S. military in the 20-year war against the Afghan Taliban.

“It is ridiculous that Afghan refugees can return to Afghanistan safely, divorce from reality,” said Eleanor Acer, senior director of global humanitarian protection.

“If many Afghans are forced to return to the Taliban, they will face terrible risks of persecution,” Ike said. “Reporters, human rights advocates, religious minorities, women’s rights defenders, and those working with the U.S. military and government are at risk of Taliban persecution or retaliation if they are forced to return to Afghanistan.”

Kim Staffieri of the Association of War Allies, a nonprofit organization that helps Afghans work for the U.S. government, said: "The incredible thing is that the Department of Homeland Security can say that Afghan economy has stabilized and is now safer, and now Afghans no longer need TPS."

In addition to reports on human rights violations by the Taliban, AIDS groups say Afghanistan is suffering from poverty and hunger. According to the World Food Program, 3.5 million young children are expected to suffer from malnutrition this year, the highest level ever seen in the country.

Congressmen, including some Republicans, say the government is endangering the lives of those who stand in the United States.

“Afghanistan is not safe,” said Rep. Jason Crow, a Democratic Army veteran who served in Iraq. “The Taliban continues to defeat human rights with the goal of opposing their Afghans, including those of American soldiers like me during the war.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Democrats New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen condemned the move as a betrayal and said it contradicted "overwhelming evidence" that Afghans with U.S. ties to the United States face persecution and torture by the Taliban.

“Deporting our partners to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan is morally irrefutable and endangeres danger,” she said.

Rep. Michael McCaul, a Republican of Texas, praised President Donald Trump for his foreign policy overall, but expressed concerns about the security of his Afghan partners.

McCall said the Taliban “hungry to retribution for those who help the United States.” “Before they show obvious behavioral changes, I urge the government to continue to prioritize risking their lives to help the safety of Afghan men and women in our forces.”