The Trump administration has terminated temporary deportation protections for thousands of Cameroonians in the US, a US Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said on Friday, building on Trump's far-reaching immigration crackdown.
Some 7,900 Cameroonians had access to the status but will lose it in June under the termination.
US President Donald Trump, a Republican, took office in January pledging to deport record numbers of migrants in the US illegally. At the same time, he has swiftly moved to strip migrants of temporary legal protections, expanding the pool of possible deportees.
The TPS program is available to people whose home countries experience a natural disaster, armed conflict or other extraordinary event. The status lasts 6-18 months, can be renewed by the Homeland Security secretary, and offers deportation protection and access to work permits.
Conditions improved
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem found that the conditions in Cameroon no longer merited the protected status, spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.
Trump tried to end most TPS enrollment during his 2017-2021 presidency but was thwarted by federal courts.
A US district judge in late March blocked his attempt at ending the status for Venezuelans, saying that officials' characterization of the migrants as criminals "smacks of racism."
The US evacuated more than 82,000 Afghans from Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in 2021, including more than 70,000 who entered the U.S. with temporary "parole," which allowed legal entry for a period of two years.
The Temporary Protected Status offered another avenue of protection. DHS said in 2023 that it was warranted due to armed conflict and insurgency in Afghanistan.
Receiving notices
Advocates have said in recent days that migrants who entered the US via a Biden-era app known as CBP Onehave been receiving notices revoking their temporary parole and giving them seven days to leave the country.
McLaughlin confirmed this week that the department had revoked some migrants' parole, saying DHS was "exercising its discretionary authority." She did not provide the number of revocations.
"Affected aliens are urged to voluntarily self-deport using the CBP Ho me App," she said in a statement.
The notices mirror messages sent in error last week to Ukrainians.
