DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Designates Cameroon for Temporary Protected Status

The Department of Homeland Security announced that it had designated Cameroon for Temporary Protected Status for 18 months.

Sec. Mayorkas stated when announcing the designation:

The United States recognizes the ongoing armed conflict in Cameroon, and we will provide temporary protection to those in need. Cameroonian nationals currently residing in the U.S. who cannot safely return due to the extreme violence perpetrated by government forces and armed separatists, and a rise in attacks led by Boko Haram, will be able to remain and work in the United States until conditions in their home country improve.

Temporary Protected Status is designated to foreign nationals already in the United States when conditions in their home country make returning home too dangerous. DHS has three statutory bases that trigger the designation – ongoing armed conflict, environmental disasters, or extraordinary and temporary conditions.

DHS stated that Cameroon currently falls under both the armed conflict and the extraordinary and temporary conditions bases – preventing Cameroonian nationals in the United States from returning home safely.

In their announcement of TPS, the DHS added that the designation stems from extreme violence between government forces, armed separatists, and terrorist groups. The department stated:

The conditions result from the extreme violence between government forces and armed separatists and a significant rise in attacks from Boko Haram, the combination of which has triggered a humanitarian crisis. Extreme violence and the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure have led to economic instability, food insecurity, and several hundred thousand displaced Cameroonians without access to schools, hospitals, and other critical services.

“Individuals eligible for TPS under this designation must have continuously resided in the United States since April 14, 2022. Individuals who attempt to travel to the United States after April 14, 2022, will not be eligible for TPS. Cameroon’s 18-month designation will go into effect on the publication date of the forthcoming Federal Register notice,” the DHS release stated.

You can read the full release here.