President Donald Trump’s administration has moved to end legal protections for the thousands of Afghans and Cameroonians who live legally in the United States.
On Friday, a spokesman for the Ministry of Homeland Security confirmed the decision affecting around 14,600 Afghans and 7,900 Cameroonians.
These individuals were able to reside in the United States under a designation called “Temporary Protective Status” or TPS.
The US government typically provides TPS to US individuals who may not be safe to return, at least in the short term, due to conflict, natural disasters, or other circumstances.
However, since taking office in January, the Trump administration has attempted to cut TPS protections for multiple nationalities.
In a statement, Homeland Security Secretary Christi Noem said the situation in Afghanistan and Cameroon did not meet the TP standards.
However, critics point out that since 2017, the fight has intensified in Cameroon between the government and separatists.
And in Afghanistan, the Taliban has controlled the government since the withdrawal of the US and Western troops in 2021. Its leadership has been accused of committing widespread human rights abuse, including arresting members of former US-backed governments and banning women from many aspects of public life.
The refugee group quickly condemned the move. Krish Omara Vignalaja, president of the nonprofit Global Shelter, called the Afghan TPS expiration “a morally unobserved betrayal.” She warned that if they return to Afghanistan they could face persecution.
“Afghanistan today is still upset by Taliban control, economic collapse and humanitarian disasters,” she said in a statement. “Nothing has changed about that reality.”
The United States has evacuated more than 82,000 Afghans to the United States, but the majority have been granted temporary “parole” or other legal status based on direct work with the US government.
Still, the end of the TP still affects a significant portion of its total group. Their TPS status ends in May.
Veteran groups and politicians on both sides of the political spectrum are seeking more legitimate paths for Afghans to seek security in the United States, especially if they work with US military or US-backed governments.
Meanwhile, US lawmakers urged the Trump administration earlier this month to expand the status of Cameroonians facing civilian attacks in their home country. They are now set to lose that protection in June.
“The country’s worsening security situation, coupled with the ongoing humanitarian cry and human rights abuses, makes it impossible for Cameroonians to return,” the lawmaker wrote.
Cameroon has seen clashes between English-speaking separatists and French-speaking security forces. This led to extrajudicial killings, attacks on civilians and widespread evacuation.
The Trump administration moved to close several paths to temporarily stay in the US. It claimed that it would “restore the rule of law.”
But much of the move covers the category of immigration established under former President Joe Biden, Trump’s predecessor and political rival.
Trump also sought to pursue a “massive deportation” campaign in his second term. By removing legal protections from immigration, the government can potentially eliminate them from the country.
However, this is not the first time Trump has targeted TPS. During his first term from 2017 to 2021, he tried to close most of his TPS registrations, but was blocked by federal courts.
During his second term, Trump resumed similar pushes. In February he tried to strip nearly 300,000 Venezuelans from the TPS.
However, in late March, a US district judge blocked his attempts and said his government characterized immigration as a criminal “racist bang.”
Trump has also moved to a humanitarian parole program that granted more than half a million Haitians, Venezuelans, Cubans and Nicaraguans legal status under Biden.
However, on Thursday, a federal judge stopped Trump from closing the program.
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