Amelie Tsoungui is a Cameroonian immigrant who moved to the U.S. at age six. After two decades growing up in Chicago and spending part of her 20s in L.A., she decided to self-deport to Cameroon in 2025 after the Trump administration said it would revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Cameroonian nationals. The cancellation of TPS meant she would no longer be able to live in the U.S. legally.

This experience of moving back to West Africa, a home she only knew as a child, sparked her passion for digital storytelling, leading to multiple viral TikTok videos on her channel @amsthebomb237, where you can watch, almost in real-time, what it is like to transition to life in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon.

Her work explores themes of immigration, assimilation, spirituality, feminine rage, and karmic lineage, drawing from her BFA in Film and Television from DePaul University.

I spoke to Amelie as part of a series on how the Trump administration is affecting people's personal finances.

Email me (Maya) with guest ideas, questions, or hello's at [email protected]. Find me on social media here.

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