"No Longer Safe": U.S. to Deport Thousands of Cameroonians as Ambazonian Crisis Rages On

The protections are set to expire in June 2025, ending deportation relief and work authorization for thousands who fled escalating violence in their home country.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement that “conditions in Cameroon no longer merit protected status.” However, observers question whether this assessment reflects the grim reality on the ground, particularly for English-speaking Cameroonians fleeing the brutal conflict between Ambazonian separatist fighters and the central government in Yaoundé.

An Ongoing Crisis Ignored

The Anglophone Crisis, which erupted in 2016 over grievances related to marginalization and the erosion of the common law and educational systems in the English-speaking regions, has since morphed into an armed conflict. The government’s military crackdown in the Northwest and Southwest regions has displaced over 700,000 people, with thousands seeking refuge abroad.

Amid the crackdown, dozens of activists aligned with the Ambazonian cause were forcibly abducted from Nigeria in 2018, in a move widely condemned by international legal experts. Among those abducted were Julius Ayuk Tabe, the self-declared president of Ambazonia, Dr. Nfor Ngala Nfor, Barrister Shufai Blaise Berinyuy, Prof. Che Francis Awasum, and several others. These individuals were held incommunicado, denied access to lawyers, and sentenced to life imprisonment by a military tribunal in Yaoundé.

Legal experts and international observers, including the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, have criticized their detention as illegal and politically motivated, calling for their immediate release.

A Dangerous Decision

The termination of TPS comes as a blow to many who fled these exact conditions—arbitrary arrests, military raids, burning of villages, and systematic persecution. Critics argue that the Trump administration has failed to grasp the impact of its decision on this specific population, many of whom would face persecution, imprisonment, or worse if deported.

“This is not just policy; it’s a potential death sentence for some of these individuals,” said a Cameroonian-American immigration lawyer based in Maryland.

The decision also raises questions about consistency in U.S. immigration policy. While protection was extended for citizens from other crisis-hit countries, the same courtesy appears to be denied to Cameroonians caught in one of Africa’s most underreported armed conflicts.

The Diaspora Reacts

In cities like Houston, Minneapolis, and Washington D.C., where Cameroonian communities are well established, protests are already being organized. Community leaders are urging lawmakers to push back on the policy reversal and renew protections.

“This is not just about legality—it’s about morality and justice,” said one organizer. “The U.S. must not turn its back on victims of tyranny.”

The move is likely to face legal challenges, especially as human rights organizations prepare to take the matter to federal courts.

Sources: