The administration of US President Donald Trump has moved to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nationals of Cameroon, Ethiopia, Somalia and South Sudan living in the United States, as part of a broader rollback of humanitarian immigration protections.
The decision affects eligible nationals of the four African countries who have relied on TPS to remain and work legally in the US.
Without another valid immigration status, affected individuals could lose their legal protection and employment authorisation and may face the possibility of removal from the country.
What is TPS?
Temporary Protected Status is a humanitarian immigration programme that allows eligible nationals of designated countries to temporarily remain in the United States when conditions such as armed conflict, natural disasters or other extraordinary circumstances make it unsafe for them to return home.
However, TPS does not provide permanent residency or create a direct pathway to US citizenship.
The latest decisions form part of a wider rollback of TPS designations under the Trump administration. Countries affected by the broader policy changes include Afghanistan, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Haiti, Honduras, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen.
For individuals who do not have another lawful immigration status, the termination of TPS could result in the loss of employment authorisation and increased risk of deportation.
However, the end of TPS does not automatically mean that every affected individual will be deported. People with pending immigration applications, active legal claims or eligibility for other forms of immigration protection may have alternative legal grounds to remain in the US.
The administration has argued that TPS was intended to provide temporary protection, but several designations remained in place for years because the conditions that initially prompted them persisted.
Somalia, for instance, was first designated for TPS in 1991 following the collapse of its central government and subsequently received repeated extensions.
South Sudan and Ethiopia were also granted TPS protections amid prolonged conflict, instability and humanitarian crises.
With the latest policy changes, nationals of the affected countries now face increased uncertainty over their immigration status, ability to work legally and long-term future in the United States.