US Lifts Deportation Protections for Afghans and Cameroonians

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration has declared it will revoke deportation protections for thousands of Afghans and Cameroonians currently residing in the United States, according to a spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security.

Approximately 14,600 Afghans who were eligible for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will lose this status in May. Meanwhile, around 7,900 Cameroonian individuals will see their TPS terminated in June.

President Donald Trump, a Republican, began his term in January with a promise to expel unprecedented numbers of unauthorized migrants. He has aggressively worked to rescind temporary legal protections for migrants, which increases the pool of individuals at risk of deportation.

Trump has criticized the high rates of illegal immigration during the administration of former Democratic President Joe Biden, claiming that Biden’s initiatives providing legal status overstepped legal boundaries.

The TPS program is designed for individuals from countries facing natural disasters, armed conflicts, or other significant crises. This temporary status, typically lasting from six to eighteen months, can be renewed by the Secretary of Homeland Security and grants protection from deportation along with the ability to work legally.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that the current situation in Afghanistan and Cameroon no longer warrants the continuation of TPS, as conveyed by spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin in a recent statement.

During his presidency from 2017 to 2021, Trump attempted to eliminate most TPS enrollments but faced legal challenges that blocked these efforts. A U.S. district judge recently stopped the termination of TPS for Venezuelans, expressing that the government’s characterization of these migrants as criminals “smacks of racism.”

Revocation of Parole

Following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, the U.S. evacuated more than 82,000 Afghans, including over 70,000 who entered on temporary “parole,” which allowed them legal entrance for two years.

Temporary Protected Status was another means of safeguarding individuals from deportation. In 2023, the Department of Homeland Security acknowledged that the situation in Afghanistan justified this designation due to ongoing armed conflict and insurgency.

Recently, advocates have raised concerns that migrants who entered the U.S. using the Biden-era app known as CBP One, including many Afghans, have received notices that their temporary parole has been revoked, requiring them to leave the country within a week.

McLaughlin confirmed this week that some migrants’ parole has been rescinded, stating that DHS is “exercising its discretionary authority,” although she did not disclose the number of affected individuals.

“Individuals affected are encouraged to voluntarily leave using the CBP Home App,” she advised in a statement.

The notices roughly resemble erroneous messages that were sent to Ukrainians last week.