Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The administration of United States President Donald Trump has terminated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nationals of Somalia, South Sudan, Cameroon and Ethiopia living in the United States, as part of a sweeping rollback of the humanitarian immigration programme that has protected hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals from deportation for decades.
According to alerts updated on the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website on August 14 and sighted by Punch Newspapers on Sunday, Somalia and South Sudan became the latest countries to be delisted after their designations ended effectively on August 14 and August 7, 2026, respectively. Cameroon and Ethiopia were also among the affected nations, bringing the total number of countries whose TPS protections have been terminated to 13, including Haiti, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Nepal, Honduras, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Myanmar.
The decisions followed determinations by former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that the countries no longer met the statutory conditions for TPS designation. "After reviewing country conditions and consulting with the appropriate U.S. government agencies, former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem determined that Somalia no longer met the conditions for its designation for Temporary Protected Status (TPS)," the USCIS alert stated. The agency confirmed that "The Somalia TPS designation is terminated, effective August 14, 2026." Similarly, Noem determined that South Sudan no longer met the conditions for TPS, with the termination taking effect on August 7, 2026.
TPS is a temporary humanitarian protection that allows eligible nationals of designated countries already in the US to remain in the country when conditions such as armed conflict, environmental disasters, or other extraordinary circumstances prevent their safe return. Beneficiaries of TPS are protected from removal, can obtain employment authorisation, and may be granted travel authorisation during the designated period. However, TPS does not lead to lawful permanent resident status or confer any other immigration status.
The termination of TPS does not automatically mean that every affected beneficiary will be deported, as individuals may have another lawful immigration status or qualify for another form of immigration protection. However, for those without an alternative legal basis to remain, the end of TPS could eventually expose them to removal proceedings and the loss of employment authorisation.
The affected African countries have had TPS designations for years, with protections based on conditions including armed conflict, humanitarian crises, and other extraordinary circumstances. Somalia was first designated for TPS in 1991 following the collapse of state institutions and has remained protected through successive extensions and redesignations. South Sudan was designated for TPS in 2011 amid continuing armed conflict, food insecurity, and human rights abuses. Ethiopia's TPS designation was introduced in 2022 amid the humanitarian consequences of conflict and instability. Cameroon's TPS designation, which covered eligible nationals from the country's ongoing conflict-affected regions, was also terminated by the administration.
However, the termination of TPS for Ethiopia remains subject to litigation. A federal judge in Massachusetts in January 2026 stayed the termination, while the government was considering its next steps. The USCIS noted that court proceedings have also affected the status of TPS terminations for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua. Only the end of TPS for Ethiopia remains blocked by a judge, while judges have cleared the way for the administration to end TPS for Somalia and South Sudan.
The latest terminations form part of the Trump administration's broader review of TPS designations, which has seen the programme scaled back significantly. The programme was designed as a temporary measure, although protections for some countries have been repeatedly extended because the conditions that prompted their designation persisted. The Trump administration has argued that TPS should not become a pathway for indefinite residence and has moved to end protections where it determines that the statutory conditions no longer warrant continued designation.
For nationals of the four African countries affected, the immediate question is now whether they have another legal basis to remain in the US—or whether the end of TPS will eventually place them in removal proceedings. The policy puts pressure on African communities that have established lives in the US under protections that in some cases have lasted for decades. With the latest policy changes, thousands of nationals from Somalia, South Sudan, Cameroon, and Ethiopia now face uncertainty over their ability to remain and work legally in the United States.
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