Worries Mounting For MD Migrants: 'My Life Will Be In Danger'

HYATTSVILLE, MD — He may have been born in Africa, but Maryland is now Denis' home. The health care worker on track to become a registered nurse fled his native Cameroon in October 2021 after being accused of treating separatist fighters.

Having both a temporary visa and children born in the U.S., Denis is stuck in the middle of two immigration battles radiating from Washington to the Maryland suburbs. He worries whether Cameroonian refugees will be allowed to stay in the U.S. beyond this summer, and he wonders whether birthright citizenship will continue for immigrant families.

The day President Donald Trump was inaugurated, he signed an executive order to end birthright citizenship for children born to parents who are in the U.S. illegally or to parents here legally but on a temporary status. Trump has also ordered his administration to ramp up the deportation of migrants who committed a crime, and he issued an executive order that allows immigration enforcement in "sensitive locations" like schools and churches.

"The immigration situation now is appalling and creating fear in everyone," Denis told Patch Wednesday in an exclusive interview, noting that migrants illegally present in the U.S. are scared to leave their homes.

Though in the country legally, Patch is not reporting Denis' last name because his immigration status is temporary and could soon expire.

Birthright Citizenship Continues, For Now

Denis was among dozens who rallied Wednesday at the Hyattsville office of CASA, an immigrant advocacy group.

The rally celebrated a federal judge's order temporarily blocking the White House's attempt to limit birthright citizenship, which guarantees citizenship via the 14th Amendment to anybody born in the U.S.

The issue weighed heavy on Denis and his wife. Two of their three children were born in the U.S. and are thereby citizens.

Trump's executive order sought to crack down on illegal immigration by withholding citizenship from children of the undocumented.

"Where else does the child belong?" Denis questioned. "It's dangerous because the child will end up being stateless, too. Then, how will that child grow up? How is the future of that child?"

The nationwide injunction means Trump's executive order cannot take effect until the case is settled, which could take months or years. The federal government can appeal the injunction, which was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Deborah L. Boardman, an appointee of former President Joe Biden.

The lawsuit was backed by the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, too. Also known as ASAP, the group represents 690,000 asylum seekers living in every state and U.S. territory.

Conchita Cruz, ASAP co-founder and co-executive director, called the injunction an "incredible victory" over an "unconstitutional" executive order.

"This executive order has created chaos and confusion in immigrant communities across the United States," Cruz said at a Wednesday press conference at CASA's Hyattsville office. "This executive order is illegal, and it should not be the law of the land."

CASA filed the lawsuit to block Trump's order on behalf of five pregnant women whose babies are slated to get birthright citizenship.

CASA's lead attorney in oral arguments was Joseph Mead, special litigation counsel at Georgetown Law's Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection.

"The Constitution is clear, all persons — all persons — born in the United States and subject to U.S. jurisdiction are United States citizens," Mead said at the conference. "There is no exception to the constitutional right to citizenship for children of immigrants."

CASA is also pushing three statewide immigration bills to limit deportations. The group rallied Tuesday in Annapolis, calling for an end to immigration enforcement in sensitive locations like schools and churches, increased state database privacy protection from immigration officers and a prohibition of police departments contracting with immigration officials.

Related: Immigrants Rally For Deportation Protection In MD: 'ICE Has No Place In Our Schools'

Future Immigration Status Uncertain

Denis' immigration authorization is set to expire this year unless the Trump administration continues protections for Cameroonians.

The U.S. grants Temporary Protected Status to refugees from certain countries with widespread danger. TPS is different than asylum, which is applied on a case-by-case basis where one life is in peril.

Cameroonians qualify for TPS because of the nation's ongoing armed conflict that began in 2017.

The English-speaking minority is seeking separation from the French speakers. International Crisis Group reported that the fighting has killed 6,500 Cameroonians, displaced 584,000 people and left 250,000 children affected by school closures.

Attacks are also common in Cameroon's far north by Boko Haram, a terrorist organization seeking an Islamic state. The fighting with Boko Haram has killed 3,000 Cameroonians and displaced about 250,000.

As a nurse in Cameroon, Denis was tasked with treating any patient who entered his emergency room. The French-speaking majority, however, targeted him for treating separatist fighters, forcing him to flee the country.

Denis migrated to the U.S. because he felt the democratic nation had plenty of human rights organizations to support him.

The CASA member has made a home in Maryland, where he fondly remembers visiting Ocean City and picking crabs with family. He finds the state "very calm" because of CASA's advocacy for immigrants and renters like him.

Denis urged the Trump administration to redesignate and extend TPS for Cameroon, which is currently set to expire on June 7. A redesignation and extension would let Cameroonians already here stay longer and allow new TPS applicants to enter the U.S.

"If the TPS is canceled, my life will be in danger with my family," Denis said.

Without TPS, Denis could be forced to return to Cameroon, where fighting rages on.

"Where will he go? Back home to a country that's ravaged by war? There's no way you can send babies back to that," CASA spokesperson Jossie Flor Sapunar said.

Flor Sapunar finds it "heartbreaking to try to understand how a president can think a family like Denis' doesn't belong here." She said his role in health care is vital and should be respected.

"I don't understand how we see a health care worker who's eager to help others and think this person and his cute little kids and his doting, beautiful wife has to go. That doesn't make sense to me," Flor Sapunar said.

Related: Do Maryland Police Work With ICE?

Health Care Worker's Goals In MD

Denis works as a certified nursing assistant in Maryland, but he took night classes to become a registered nurse in his new country. He's preparing to take his licensing exam.

"I can name a lot of incidents that I have saved a life," Denis said. "For that, I really have this passion of saving life."

Flor Sapunar, who has known Denis since 2021, said he is a "firecracker" who has a way with words. She called him a leader and an activist.

"He was thrown into this out of the injustice that he saw for the Cameroonian community," Flor Sapunar said. "He knew he had to share his story so that he could really make roots in Maryland."

Flor Sapunar has loved watching Denis' family grow over the years.

"When I met him years ago, his wife was pregnant. They were excited about their little baby. And now, to see even his little toddler running around, I mean, it's beautiful to see a family come together," Flor Sapunar said.

Denis hopes to remain in Maryland and raise his children to be "good citizens."

"We pray to always be with our kids," he said. "Maryland is home for me."

Related: If ICE Comes To Schools: MD Issues Guidance For Staff, Police