Cameroon refugees receive protected status

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced Friday the agency will add Cameroon to the list of countries to which it is too dangerous for immigrants to return. As of Thursday, roughly 11,700 Cameroonians legally in the U.S. will be protected from deportation for the next 18 months and are allowed to apply for work permits.

Why is it too dangerous? Mayorkas cited extreme violence in the African nation from an ongoing civil war between government forces and armed separatists, along with increasing attacks from the Boko Haram extremist group. Human Rights Watch tracked about 80 Cameroonians who were deported from the United States in 2020. The organization reported evidence that roughly half the group were detained or imprisoned, and some were tortured. Cameroon will be the 14th country added to Homeland Security's list. Critics say the Temporary Protected Status program has become “amnesty-lite” because the 18-month deadline is often extended. Roughly 200,000 El Salvadorans have had temporary status since 2001.

Dig deeper: From the archives, read Onize Ohikere’s report in World Tour about kidnapped children in Cameroon.