But the 27-year-old, who fled Cameroon during the ongoing conflict, can only wonder what would have happened if the millions who had left the Eastern European nation had a different hue. As the United States prepares to welcome tens of thousands of Ukrainians fleeing the war, the country continues to deport dozens of African and Caribbean refugees back to unstable and violent homelands where they have faced rape, torture, arbitrary arrests and more. “They do not care about a black man,” said a Columbus, Ohio resident, referring to U.S. politicians. “The difference is really clear. “They know what is going on there and they decided to close their eyes and ears.” Tebah’s concerns echo protests over rapid deportation of refugees from Haiti who crossed the border this summer without a chance to seek asylum, not to mention the icy reception of Africans and Middle Eastern refugees in Western Europe compared to how these nations enthusiastically embraced the displaced Ukrainians. In March, when President Joe Biden made a series of announcements welcoming 100,000 Ukrainian refugees, granting temporary protection to another 30,000 already in the United States and halting deportations to Ukraine, two Democratic lawmakers seized the moment to call for similar humanitarian thinking. . “There is every reason to extend the same level of compassion,” wrote Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Mondaire Jones of New York to the government, noting that more than 20,000 Haitians have been deported despite continuing instability following the killings. . of the President of Haiti and a strong earthquake this summer. Supporters of Cameroon similarly stepped up their calls for humanitarian aid, protesting in front of the home of Washington’s Secretary of State Alejandro Mallorca and the offices of leading members of Congress this month. Their calls come as hundreds of thousands in Cameroon have been displaced in recent years due to the country’s civil war between its French-speaking government and English-speaking separatists, attacks by the Boko Haram terrorist group and other regional conflicts. The human rights watchdog, in a February report, found that many Cameroonians deported from the United States were persecuted and human rights abused when they returned. Tebah, who is a leading member of the American Council of Cameroon, a defense group staging demonstrations this month, said this was a fate he hoped to avoid. Hailing from the English-speaking northwestern part of the country, he said he was a separatist and was arrested by the government for his activism as a student. Tebah said he managed to escape, like many Cameroonians, by flying to Latin America, hiking by land on the US-Mexico border and seeking asylum in 2019. “They will keep me in prison, torture me and even kill me if I am deported,” he said. “I am just scared. “As a human being, my life is also important.” The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees TPS and other humanitarian programs, has refused to respond to allegations of racism in US immigration policy. He also declined to say whether he was considering granting TPS to Cameroonians or other African nationals, saying only in a written statement that he would “continue to monitor the situation in various countries”. The agency noted, however, that it recently issued TPS names for Haiti, Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan – all African or Caribbean nations – as well as more than 75,000 Afghans living in the US since the occupation. due to a Central Asian state by the Taliban. The Haitians are one of the largest and longest-lived beneficiaries of the TPS, with more than 40,000 currently in the status quo. Other TPS countries include Burma, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen, and the majority of the nearly 320,000 Temporary Protected Immigrants come from El Salvador. Lisa Parisio, who helped launch Catholic Against Racism in Immigration, says the program could easily help protect millions more refugees at risk, but has historically been misused and overly politicized. The TPS, which grants work permits and prevents deportation for up to 18 months, has no limits on how many countries or individuals can be placed in it, said Parisio, who is the director of advocacy for the Global Legal Immigration Network. However, former President Donald Trump, in his wider efforts to curb immigration, cut TPS, allowing the designations for Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea to end in West Africa. While programs like TPS provide critical protection for vulnerable refugees, they can also leave many in the legal loophole for years without giving way to citizenship, said Karla Morales, a 24-year-old from El Salvador who was at TPS for most of her life. the life. . “It’s absurd to consider 20 years in this country temporarily,” said a nursing student at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. “We need confirmation that the work we have done is appreciated and that our lives have value.” At least in the case of Ukraine, Biden appears to be motivated by broader foreign policy goals in Europe rather than racial prejudice, suggests Maria Cristina Garcίαa, a history professor at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, who focuses on refugees and immigrants. However, Tom Wong, founding director of the U.S. Center for Immigration Policy at the University of California, San Diego, said racial inequalities could not be clearer. “The United States has responded without hesitation by extending humanitarian protection to predominantly white and European refugees,” he said. “All this time, mostly people of color from Africa, the Middle East and Asia continue to wither.” In addition to Cameroon, advocates of migrants also argue that Congo and Ethiopia should qualify for humanitarian aid due to the ongoing conflict, as does Mauritania, as slavery is still practiced there. And they complain that Ukrainian asylum seekers are excluded from the asylum limits intended to prevent the spread of COVID-19, while those from other nations are excluded. “The black pain and suffering of blacks do not get the same attention,” said Sylvie Bello, founder of the DC-based Cameroon American Council. “The very anti-black that pervades American life permeates American immigration policy.” Vera Arnot, a Ukrainian in Boston who is considering seeking a TPS, says she did not know much about the special regime until the war broke out and did not know the concerns of colored immigrants. But the Berklee College of Music sophomore hopes the relief can be extended to other deserving nations. Arnot says TPS could help her look for a better off-campus job so she does not have to rely on her family support, as most in Ukraine have lost their jobs due to the war. “Ukrainians as a people are not used to relying on others,” he said. “We want to work. We do not want prosperity. “ For Tebah, who lives with relatives in Ohio, TPS would make it easier for him to open a bank account, get a driver’s license and look for a better job while he awaits his asylum decision. “We will continue to please, please,” Tebah said. “We are in danger. I want to emphasize it. Only TPS for Cameroon will help us escape this danger. It’s very necessary. “
Associated Press video reporter Patrick Orsagos in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this story.
