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By Amanda Castro and Dan Gooding
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The Trump administration has announced it will end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Cameroon on August 3, 2025, citing improved conditions in the country, according to a notice published Tuesday.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said a review of current conditions and interagency consultations determined that the West African country no longer meets the criteria for TPS designation, and that individuals who had utilized the program could self-deport.
"This decision will leave many of our community members without the crucial protection they need," Nils Kinuani, federal policy manager at African Communities Together, told Newsweek in a statement. "We maintain that the ongoing armed conflict and other unsafe conditions in Cameroon clearly warrant a redesignation and extension of TPS."
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Why It Matters
The announcement is the latest in a series of moves by the Trump administration to lift protections from deportation for hundreds of thousands of immigrants who benefited from TPS.
Secretary Noem argues the program has been abused, but immigration advocacy groups have warned that many immigrants would be vulnerable to abuse, torture, or arrest should they be forced to return home.
What To Know
In a brief statement on Tuesday, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) confirmed that it would allow TPS to lapse for Cameroonians on August 3, 2025.
A Federal Register notice said DHS had reviewed conditions in Cameroon, alongside other federal agencies, and determined that "while certain conditions that led to the initial designation of TPS for Cameroon may continue, they do not pose a serious threat to individual safety due to ongoing armed conflict and do not result in Cameroonians being unable to safely return."
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The U.S. Department of State currently lists Cameroon under a Level 2 "exercise increased caution" warning, due to ongoing armed violence, civil unrest, crime, health, and kidnapping concerns in different parts of the African nation.
DHS's decision reflects similar justifications for revoking TPS for Afghanistan, Venezuela, and Haiti, among other nations.
TPS was initially granted to Cameroon in April 2022 for a standard 18-month period and was subsequently extended in December 2023 by the Biden administration.
An estimated 3,260 Cameroonians have used the program to remain in the U.S., with some potentially then applying for more permanent immigration statuses.
Immigration advocacy groups sued the Trump administration in early May, following media reports that TPS would be revoked without the official notice in the Federal Register.
What People Are Saying
USCIS, in its statement Tuesday: "Aliens can use the CBP Home app to report their voluntary departure from the United States upon termination of their status."
Nils Kinuani, federal policy manager at African Communities Together, told Newsweek in a statement: The decision to terminate, particularly as it comes after the statutory deadline, is not only unlawful but also contradicts our nation's fundamental values of safeguarding the most vulnerable."
A plaintiff in the May lawsuit, identified as O.M.: "Losing TPS exposes me to the risk of being forced to return to a country where I am not safe. I faced physical abuse all because of my religious faith when I lived in Cameroon. I can't go back and suffer that again. This is my home."
What Happens Next
USCIS said Cameroon's TPS will end August 3, 2025. Other TPS statuses will be reviewed by Secretary Noem as they approach their 18 month expiration dates.
Update 6/3/25, 1:41 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 6/3/25, 3:20 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Nils Kinuani.
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