FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 17, 2022
CONTACT: bethelhem@undocublack.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, the UndocuBlack Network recognizes the “ongoing armed conflict in Cameroon” – a statutory qualifying factor for a TPS designation – that has killed more than 4,000, displaced more than 700,000 civilians, and the potential escalation of the current political instability in Cameroon. The Network urges the Biden Administration to halt the detention, deportation, or expulsion of all Cameroon nationals to imminently deadly conditions. The UndocuBlack Network calls on the Biden Administration to halt removal proceedings against Cameroonians and grant the designation of TPS for Cameroonians in the U.S.
“This Black History Month, the Biden Administration can honor the month by choosing to stand by the side of justice for Black immigrants and alienating its administration from the historically anti-Black hardline stance on immigration and discriminatory policies.””
According to local and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Cameroon's far northern region has been in conflict with Boko Haram, leading to the deaths and displacement of thousands in Cameroon since 2014. Government security forces and separatists have also faced accusations of attacking schools, raiding villages, burning homes, and arbitrarily arresting and killing dozens of civilians. Not only does deporting Cameroonians who are already in the U.S. go against President Biden’s campaign promises, but it also puts the U.S. in direct conflict with U.S. law (the 1951 Refugee and 1984 Torture Conventions) as Cameroonians are knowingly being returned to “likely persecution, torture, or other serious human rights violations.”
“The Biden administration can save its fractured legacy by immediately designating Cameroon for TPS. The administration can begin to atone for our country’s wrongdoings against Black immigrants, including the deportation of Cameroonians back to a place of violence, torture and death after suffering unspeakable abuse, neglect, and lack of due process through the broken U.S. asylum system,” said Timantha Goff, Policy and Advocacy Analyst with the UndocuBlack Network. “ This Black History Month, the Biden Administration can honor the month by choosing to stand by the side of justice for Black immigrants and alienating its administration from the historically anti-Black hardline stance on immigration and discriminatory policies.”
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