The Trump administration will terminate temporary protections for over 10,000 individuals from Afghanistan and Cameroon, leading to potential deportations in May and June, according to officials from the Department of Homeland Security.
These individuals have been residing legally in the United States under Temporary Protected Status (T.P.S.), a program designed to protect migrants from being returned to countries experiencing conflict or natural disasters. Those with T.P.S. are also permitted to work in the U.S.
The administration has focused on T.P.S. as part of a broader immigration enforcement strategy, arguing that the program is being misused to allow indefinite stays in the country. Earlier this year, efforts were made to revoke T.P.S. for Venezuelans and to reduce the duration of protections for Haitians.
This initiative may encounter legal opposition. Recently, Judge Edward M. Chen of a federal court in San Francisco issued a temporary injunction against the termination of T.P.S. for Venezuelans, citing potential irreparable harm to hundreds of thousands of individuals and significant economic repercussions for the U.S.
Legal representatives involved in the Venezuelan case are now assessing the latest actions regarding T.P.S. for Afghanistan and Cameroon. Ahilan Arulanantham, an attorney and director at the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at U.C.L.A., indicated that they will scrutinize whether the government adhered to T.P.S. regulations in determining the safety of returning nationals to these countries.
The Biden administration initially granted protections to Afghan migrants in 2022 following the Taliban's takeover and extended these protections in 2023, citing ongoing armed conflict and humanitarian crises. Similar protections for Cameroonians were also extended in 2023 due to persistent conflict.
As of late last year, more than 9,000 Afghans and 3,000 Cameroonians were beneficiaries of T.P.S., according to the Congressional Research Service.
On March 21, the Secretary of Homeland Security announced the termination of T.P.S. for Afghanistan, stating that the country no longer met the necessary criteria. The termination for Cameroon was also announced earlier this week.
Julia Gelatt, an immigration expert at the Migration Policy Institute, remarked that revoking T.P.S. for Afghans would significantly impact the Afghan community, particularly those who assisted the U.S. government. She noted that many Afghans have strong asylum claims based on their affiliations, and the termination of T.P.S. could exacerbate the backlog in the asylum system.