Nationals of four African countries residing in the United States risk deportation

Nationals of four African countries residing in the United States face an increased risk of deportation after the Trump administration ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) that covered citizens of Cameroon, Ethiopia, Somalia, and South Sudan.

The Department of Homeland Security announced Friday that the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for a group of countries had taken effect, eliminating protection that allowed eligible nationals to remain in the United States and obtain work authorization while their countries were deemed unsafe for return.

These four African countries are among the 13 countries affected by the latest wave of TPS suppression, alongside Afghanistan, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Nepal, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Myanmar.

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) does not confer permanent residency or citizenship. It is temporary humanitarian protection that the U.S. government may grant to nationals of countries facing armed conflict, natural disasters, or other exceptional circumstances that make safe return difficult.

The Trump administration is accelerating the reduction of Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

This latest measure is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to dismantle the Temporary Protection Schemes (TPS) that have protected hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals from deportation.

Cameroon, Ethiopia, Somalia and South Sudan have all benefited for years from Temporary Protection Status (TPS), this protection being conditional on factors such as armed conflict, humanitarian crises and other exceptional circumstances.

South Sudan, for example, was first designated as a TPS-eligible country in 2011 following its independence and ongoing armed conflict, with US officials citing food insecurity, human rights abuses, and obstacles to humanitarian aid among the conditions affecting the safety of return.

The end of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) does not automatically lead to the deportation of all affected individuals. Beneficiaries with other legal immigration status, a pending application, or another form of protection may have other grounds for remaining in the country.

For those without another legal status, the loss of TPS may, however, lead to the removal of protection against deportation and the associated work permit.

This policy therefore puts pressure on African communities that have settled in the United States, benefiting from protections that, in some cases, have lasted for decades.