he administration of former President Donald Trump has moved forward with its controversial decision to terminate legal protections for thousands of Afghans and Cameroonians who have been living legally in the United States under a humanitarian program known as Temporary Protected Status (TPS). This decision marks yet another step in the Trump-era policy trend of restricting immigration and scaling back protections for vulnerable populations, both documented and undocumented.

On Friday, a spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officially confirmed the administration's decision to rescind TPS designations for individuals from Afghanistan and Cameroon. The change will directly impact an estimated 14,600 Afghans and approximately 7,900 Cameroonians, who have been residing in the U.S. under the protection of this temporary legal status.

TPS, or Temporary Protected Status, is a humanitarian provision under U.S. immigration law that allows nationals of countries facing armed conflict, environmental disasters, or other extraordinary conditions to remain in the United States temporarily. The program is specifically designed to offer a safe haven to people already in the country who may be placed at serious risk if they were to return to their home nations. TPS does not provide a path to permanent residency or citizenship but does allow beneficiaries to live and work legally in the U.S. for a limited time, with the possibility of extensions based on conditions in their home countries.

Historically, TPS has been granted and extended on humanitarian grounds by administrations of both parties. However, the Trump administration adopted a more restrictive stance toward immigration and humanitarian relief. Since taking office in January 2017, the administration has repeatedly sought to curtail protections such as TPS for nationals of multiple countries, arguing that conditions in those countries had improved sufficiently for their citizens to return.

In this most recent development, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that Afghanistan and Cameroon no longer met the necessary criteria for continued TPS designation. According to Noem, after a thorough review of current conditions, the administration concluded that it is now safe for nationals of both countries to return home.

However, critics of the move argue that the administration’s justification does not align with the harsh realities on the ground in either country. Advocacy groups, human rights organizations, and refugee experts have raised serious concerns that returning individuals to Afghanistan or Cameroon at this time could place them in direct danger.

In the case of Cameroon, the Central African nation has been gripped by a prolonged and deadly conflict since 2017. Fighting between government forces and armed separatist groups in the country’s Anglophone regions has led to widespread violence, displacement, and human rights abuses. The conflict has shown few signs of resolution, with civilians often caught in the crossfire or targeted by both sides. Human rights monitors have reported arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial killings, and the destruction of villages.

Afghanistan presents a similarly grim picture. Since the withdrawal of U.S. and allied forces in 2021, the Taliban has regained control over the country. The militant group now governs Afghanistan under a regime that many international observers have described as oppressive and authoritarian. Reports from human rights organizations and news outlets have documented the Taliban's crackdown on freedoms, including the repression of women’s rights, the suppression of dissent, and the targeting of former members of the U.S.-backed government.

Despite these documented crises, the Trump administration has maintained that conditions in both Afghanistan and Cameroon are sufficiently stable to justify ending TPS. The decision has sparked swift and widespread condemnation from advocates and humanitarian groups who argue that returning TPS holders to these countries would expose them to violence, persecution, and possible death.

Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president of Global Refuge, a nonprofit organization that supports displaced persons and refugees, strongly criticized the decision. She described the revocation of TPS for Afghans as “a morally indefensible betrayal” and emphasized the grave risks faced by individuals who may be deported to a country still reeling from war, repression, and human rights abuses. Vignarajah warned that many Afghans under TPS could face immediate threats to their lives and freedoms if forced to return to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

Her statement reflects the sentiments of many advocacy organizations who view the rollback of TPS protections not only as a humanitarian failure but also as part of a broader political agenda aimed at reducing legal immigration under the guise of legal and procedural review. Legal challenges to similar TPS terminations for other nationalities—including Haitians, Salvadorans, and Sudanese—have been winding their way through the courts for several years, with mixed results.

The decision is also deeply personal for many of the individuals affected. For years, TPS holders from Afghanistan and Cameroon have lived in the U.S. legally, worked jobs, paid taxes, built families, and contributed to their communities. For them, the U.S. has become home. With the abrupt revocation of their status, thousands now face uncertainty, the threat of deportation, and the possibility of being returned to countries they fled due to war and instability.

Immigration attorneys and advocacy groups have vowed to continue fighting for TPS protections through legal and legislative means. Some have called on Congress to pass permanent protections or a path to citizenship for long-term TPS holders. While current protections are scheduled to lapse over the coming months, legal action or political pressure could potentially delay or reverse the decision.

In the meantime, affected individuals and their families are left in limbo, unsure of what the future holds. As immigration remains a hot-button issue in American politics, the fate of TPS recipients from Afghanistan and Cameroon underscores the human stakes involved in policy decisions that may appear bureaucratic on the surface but carry life-altering consequences for thousands of people.

The rollback of TPS for these two nationalities is part of a larger shift in U.S. immigration policy under the Trump administration—one that prioritizes enforcement and restriction over humanitarian relief and inclusion. Whether future administrations will reverse this course remains to be seen, but for now, the lives of thousands of Afghans and Cameroonians in the U.S. hang in the balance.