COALITION OF 100+ ADVOCATES CALL FOR TPS FOR CAMEROON

This Black History Month, it is time for the Biden Administration to extend necessary humanitarian protection to Black immigrants

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 17, 2022

CONTACT: Lora Adams, lora@masadc.com 

 

WASHINGTON, DC—As Cameroonians, coalition members, and their allies rally at the White House today, the Temporary Protected Status Deferred Enforced Departure Administrative Advocacy Coalition (TPS-DED AAC) repeats its demand for TPS for Cameroon. Cameroon is facing at least three separate armed conflicts and humanitarian crises across the country. Between widespread armed conflict, continued violence with Boko Haram, and a growing refugee crisis in the east, conditions in Cameroon make it clearly eligible for humanitarian protection under the TPS statute. 

 

Cameroonians recently deported from the United States have suffered persecution and other serious human rights violations post-return, putting the United States in direct conflict with U.S. and international law for the treatment of those at risk of harm. Last week, Human Rights Watch issued a report documenting Cameroonians deported from the United States were tortured, physically or sexually abused, or assaulted by state agents, and were detained in jails, prisons, military camps, or other detention facilities, both legal and illegal, for periods ranging from days to months. Nearly all described squalid detention conditions with little to no food, medical care, sanitation, or protection from COVID-19. The TPS-DED AAC condemns these continued consequences of inaction, and we reiterate the immediate need for TPS for Cameroon.

 

Taisha Saintil, Legislative and communication at the Haitian Bridge Alliance and  the Cameroonian Advocacy Network stated: “Protection delayed is protection denied, It is time that the Biden-Harris administration provides protection for our Cameroonian community members by designating Cameroon for TPS…

 

Diana A. Konaté, Policy Director at African Communities Together stated: “The Biden Administration is continuing to drag its feet in designating TPS for Cameroon. Every day that is spent without protection puts more Cameroonian lives at risk of deportation to life-threatening conditions. These delays are unacceptable, and the administration must work to dismantle the anti-Black sentiment within the immigration system.”

 

Timantha Goff, Policy & Advocacy Analyst at the UndocuBlack Network stated: “Routing out anti-Black and discriminatory policies is how we fix our immigration system and keep families together. The unwillingness to designate Cameroon for TPS despite an ongoing armed conflict with a death toll of over 4,000 people and over 700,000 displaced raises concerns about the underlying reasons. There should be no hesitation—TPS must be issued for Cameroon.”

 

Lisa Parisio, Director of Advocacy at the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc (CLINIC) stated:  “During the transition and early days of the Biden administration, the TPS-DED AAC delivered policy recommendations supported by hundreds of organizations calling for an immediate designation of TPS for Cameroon. A year later, the situation remains dire, and the administration has yet to respond. TPS is a readily available tool the administration has at its disposal right now to provide life-saving protection to Cameroonians in the U.S. Conditions in Cameroon are life-threatening. Cameroonians in the U.S. are trapped in detention centers and at risk of deportation, and some have been deported back to Cameroon, subjected to the violence they first fled. TPS is clearly warranted under the law and by basic morality. The delay on TPS for Cameroon is deadly and it must end now.”   

 

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The TPS-DED AAC is a national coalition of more than 100 organizations with deep expertise in law and policy surrounding TPS and DED. Member organizations range from community-based organizations directly serving impacted communities in the United States to international NGOs, working in and providing insight from affected countries.

 

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