Nationals Of 4 African Countries Lose US Temporary Protection Status, Face Deportation

Anxiety has gripped nationals of four African countries living in the United States as the Donald Trump administration has ended the temporary Protected Status (TPS) for them as part of a wider rollback of the humanitarian immigration programme.

Nationals of Cameroon, Ethiopia, Somalia, and South Sudan living in the United States are the target, meaning eligible nationals from the four African countries who relied on TPS to remain and work legally in the US could lose those protections if they do not have another lawful immigration status. They may as well face deportation if they don’t have any other official guarantee of staying.

According to US sources, the TPS is a temporary humanitarian programme that allows eligible nationals of designated countries to remain in the US when conditions such as armed conflict, natural disasters or other extraordinary circumstances make it unsafe for them to return. It does not provide permanent residency or a pathway to US citizenship.

Somalia is among the latest countries to have its TPS protection terminated, joining a growing list of countries affected by the Trump administration’s immigration policy changes.

The expanded list includes Haiti, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Cameroon, Nepal, Honduras, Nicaragua, Venezuela, South Sudan, Myanmar and Somalia.

Termination of TPS, however, does not automatically mean that every beneficiary will be deported. According to US sources, individuals who hold another lawful immigration status, have a pending immigration application or qualify for another form of protection may still have a legal basis to remain in the country.

The TPS designations have protected hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals over the years, and the programme was designed as a temporary measure. However, protections for some countries have been repeatedly extended because the conditions that prompted their designation persisted.

Somalia, for instance, was first designated for TPS in 1991 following the collapse of state institutions and has remained protected through successive extensions and redesignations.

South Sudan was also designated for TPS amid continuing conflict and humanitarian challenges, while Ethiopia received TPS protection in response to severe humanitarian conditions linked to conflict and instability.