WASHINGTON: The Trump administration has announced it will end deportation protections for thousands of Afghans and Cameroonians living in the US, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said on Friday.
An estimated 14,600 Afghans eligible for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will now lose it in May. Around 7,900 Cameroonians had access to the status but will lose it in June following the termination.
US President Donald Trump, a Republican, assumed office in January vowing to deport record numbers of migrants living in the US unlawfully. At the same time, he has swiftly moved to strip migrants of temporary legal protections, widening the net of potential deportees.
Trump has criticised high levels of illegal immigration under Democratic former President Joe Biden and argued that Biden’s programmes offering legal status exceeded lawful authority.
The TPS programme is available to individuals whose home countries have experienced natural disasters, armed conflict, or other extraordinary events. The status, which lasts 6–18 months, can be renewed by the Homeland Security Secretary and offers deportation protection and access to work permits.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem determined that the conditions in Afghanistan and Cameroon no longer justified the protected status, spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.
Trump attempted to end most TPS enrolment during his 2017–2021 presidency but was blocked by federal courts. A US district judge in late March halted his effort to terminate the status for Venezuelans, stating that officials’ portrayal of the migrants as criminals “smacks of racism”.
Parole revoked
The US evacuated more than 82,000 Afghans from Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in 2021, including over 70,000 who entered the country with temporary “parole”, which allowed legal entry for two years.
Temporary Protected Status offered another avenue of protection. DHS said in 2023 that the designation was warranted due to armed conflict and insurgency in Afghanistan.
Advocates have said in recent days that migrants who entered the US via a Biden-era app known as CBP One, including Afghans, have received notices revoking their temporary parole and ordering them to leave the country within seven days.
McLaughlin confirmed this week that the department had revoked some migrants’ parole, stating that DHS was “exercising its discretionary authority.” She did not provide figures on the number of revocations.
“Affected individuals are urged to voluntarily self-deport using the CBP Home App,” she said in a statement.
The notices resemble messages mistakenly sent last week to Ukrainians.
