Trump revokes hundreds of Cameroonians’ and Afghans’ protected status

A U.S. Department of Homeland Security official announced Friday that the Trump administration has lifted temporary deportation protections for thousands of Afghans and Cameroonians in the United States, continuing Trump’s extensive immigration crackdown.

The temporary protected status of 14,600 Afghans is now set to expire in May. As a result of the termination, about 7,900 Cameroonians would no longer have access to the status in June.

When he took office in January, Republican President Donald Trump of the United States promised to deport a record number of illegal aliens. At the same time, he has increased the number of potential deportees by acting quickly to deny migrants temporary legal protections.

Former Democratic President Joe Biden’s high rates of illegal immigration have been challenged by Trump, who has claimed that Biden’s initiatives giving legal status went beyond the law.

People whose home countries undergo a natural disaster, armed conflict, or other extraordinary occurrence are eligible to participate in the TPS program. The status provides deportation protection and work permit access, and it lasts for six to eighteen months, with the Homeland Security secretary having the authority to extend it.

According to a statement from spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem concluded that the circumstances in Afghanistan and Cameroon no longer warranted the protected status.

Federal judges blocked Trump’s attempt to terminate the majority of TPS enrollment during his 2017–2021 presidency. In late March, a U.S. court judge halted his attempt to remove Venezuelans’ status, stating that the migrants’ criminal classification by officials “smacks of racism.”

PAROLE WAS REVOKED

After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021, the United States evacuated about 82,000 Afghans, including over 70,000 who received temporary “parole,” which permitted lawful entry for a two-year term.

Another protection option was provided by Temporary Protected Status. In 2023, DHS stated that it was justified because of the insurgency and violent warfare in Afghanistan.

In the past several days, proponents have claimed that Afghans and other migrants who entered the country through the Biden-era program CBP One have started receiving notices rescinding their temporary parole and giving them seven days to leave.

This Monday, McLaughlin revealed that the government had revoked the parole of certain migrants, citing DHS’s “exercising its discretionary authority.” She did not specify how many revocations there were.

“The CBP Home App is a voluntary way for affected aliens to self-deport,” she added in a statement.

Messages delivered to Ukrainians last week in error are mirrored in the notices.