US Ends Humanitarian Protection for Four African Nations as Deportation Fears Grow

The U.S. government has ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for people from Somalia, South Sudan, Cameroon, and Ethiopia. The Department of Homeland Security made the announcement, and the updated notices from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) lay it all out. This move pulls back the humanitarian protections that let thousands of African nationals live and work legally in the U.S.—sometimes for years.

TPS existed to give people a lifeline if their home countries were dealing with war, humanitarian crises, or natural disasters that made returning home too dangerous. People with TPS couldn’t be deported, could work legally, and sometimes travel—though the program never offered permanent residency or a route to citizenship.

USCIS says the termination became official in August 2026, after former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem decided these countries no longer met TPS requirements. Somalia’s designation ended August 14. South Sudan’s ended August 7. Cameroon and Ethiopia lost TPS, too; Ethiopia’s end was delayed by a lawsuit but has now gone through.

This change is just one part of a larger effort by the Trump administration to scale back TPS for several countries, not just these. Afghanistan, Haiti, Syria, and Venezuela also faced similar rollbacks. Some people might have other immigration protections or legal status, but for many—especially those who only had TPS—this means facing a much higher risk of deportation.

People in these affected communities, some of whom have built their lives here over decades, are suddenly facing an uncertain future. Advocates are warning this isn’t just a policy shift on paper—it could split up families, shake up whole neighborhoods, and send people back to places that are still reeling from violence and humanitarian crises.