Kristina Cooke, Mica Rosenberg

(Reuters) – Due to continuing conflict between government forces, armed separatists and Cameroonians in the United States, the Biden administration will issue temporary deportation relief as well as work permits. The announcement was made by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Friday.

DHS announced that this decision would apply to Cameroonians living in the United States as of April 14. It will also last 18 months. According to the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, (CLINIC), this status would be of assistance for around 39,000 Cameroonians.

President Joe Biden championed Temporary Protected Status, which gives immigrants who are not able to leave their country due to extreme circumstances (e.g. violent conflict or natural hazards) the right to live and work in the United States.

Alejandro Mayorkas, Homeland Security Secretary, cited conflict in Cameroon and an increase in attacks by Boko Haram on Cameroon in a statement declaring the decision.

The violence against Cameroon’s armed forces has increased in western Cameroon as Anglophone separatists battling the French-speaking government use explosive devices more frequently.

Reuters interviewed more than a dozen Cameroonian asylum-seekers who had returned to Cameroon after having lost their U.S. immigration court case. Although all of them declined to name themselves, their stories were similar. They told how they had lost U.S. immigration court cases and that their identity documents were confiscated. Some even went into hiding fearing reprisals.

Human Rights Watch reported in February that there were dozens of instances where Cameroonian officials subjected asylum seekers to torture and arbitrary arrest by US authorities. This happened between 2019-2021.

Biden is a Democrat and has significantly increased TPS enrollment which was largely the goal of his predecessor, Republican President Donald Trump.