Cameroon loses US protections, told to self-deport ⁰

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.”

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.”

Department Of Homeland Security

A U.S. Department Of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection sign is displayed at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Headquarters on May 18, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Kevin Carter/Getty Images

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.

Source: Newsweek