For immediate release: July 22, 2025
Media contact: Chanea Davis, [email protected], 301-717-9942
Washington, D.C. – On July 21, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit denied a request by CASA – represented by the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs (WLC) and the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection (ICAP) at Georgetown Law – to pause the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nationals of Cameroon and Afghanistan.
Although the court declined to issue a stay, it recognized that CASA and its partners have presented strong evidence that the terminations were unlawful, allowing the case to move forward in district court:
“We agree with the district court that CASA, Inc. has stated a plausible claim for relief with regard to the alleged ‘preordained’ decision to terminate temporary protected status (TPS) for Afghanistan and Cameroon, and that the balance of the equities and the public interest weigh in favor of CASA, Inc.”
“We are disappointed the terminations will move forward in the immediate term, but the Fourth Circuit acknowledged what we know to be true: we have a strong legal case against the Trump administration,” said Ama Frimpong, Legal Director of CASA. “TPS holders from Cameroon and Afghanistan face grave danger if forced to return to countries in crisis. We will continue this fight in the courts and in our communities until justice is done and TPS is restored for these countries.”
“The focus now moves back to the district court where we will fight to secure even more evidence to support our claims,” said Samuel Siegel, Senior Counsel at ICAP.
“We are determined to protect thousands of Afghans and Cameroonians escaping violence and instability,” said Ryan Downer, Legal Director at Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs. “It is encouraging that the court has stressed the urgency for this case to proceed swiftly so that uncertainty is minimized.”
TPS offers life saving protection to individuals from countries experiencing war, natural disasters, and humanitarian emergencies. Both Cameroon and Afghanistan remain profoundly unstable, with ongoing violence, government repression, and humanitarian collapse.
The case continues in the U.S. District Court, where CASA, ICAP, and WLC will present the full weight of evidence showing that DHS’s decision to terminate TPS for Cameroon and Afghanistan violated the law and puts thousands of lives at risk.
CASA remains committed to defending immigrant communities and will not stop fighting to protect TPS holders from unjust and unlawful policy decisions.
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With over 173,000 lifetime members across 46 US states, CASA is a national powerhouse organization building power and improving the quality of life in working-class: Black, Latino/a/e, Afro-descendent, Indigenous, and Immigrant communities. CASA creates change with its powerbuilding model blending human services, community organizing, and advocacy in order to serve the full spectrum of the needs, dreams, and aspirations of members. www.wearecasa.org
The mission of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection is to use strategic legal advocacy to defend constitutional rights and values while working to restore confidence in the integrity of governmental institutions. Connect with ICAP at www.law.georgetown.edu/icap/, [email protected], or @GeorgetownICAP.
Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs: Founded in 1968, the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs works to create legal, economic, and social equity through litigation, client and public education and public policy advocacy. We partner with individuals and communities facing discrimination and with the legal community to advance justice.