The Trump administration is set to revoke temporary legal status for about 240,000 Ukrainians who fled the conflict with Russia, a senior Trump official and three people familiar with the matter said, potentially putting them at risk of deportation.
The move, expected in April, would be the opposite of the aid Ukrainians have received under President Joe Biden's administration.
Plans to lift protective measures for Ukrainians began long before Mr Trump publicly clashed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week.
Trump's Mass Deportation
It is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to strip the legal status of more than 1.8 million migrants who were allowed into the U.S. under temporary humanitarian parole programs initiated under the Biden administration, the sources said.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, said the agency had no comment at this time. The White House and the Ukrainian Embassy did not respond to requests for comment.
Trump's January 20 executive order called on the Department of Homeland Security to “terminate all parole programs.”
The administration plans to end parole for about 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans as early as this month, according to a Trump official and one of the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss domestic matters. The plan to end parole for these groups was first reported by CBS News.
Migrants whose parole status is revoked could face expedited deportation proceedings, according to an internal ICE email seen by Reuters.
Immigrants who cross the border illegally may be subject to expedited deportation proceedings, known as expedited removal, within two years of entry. But for those who entered through legal ports without being formally “admitted” to the U.S., as well as those on parole, there is no time limit on their expedited removal, the email said.
Biden's programs were part of a larger effort to create temporary legal pathways to curb illegal immigration and provide humanitarian aid.
In addition to the 240,000 Ukrainians who fled the Russian invasion and the 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, these programs reached more than 70,000 Afghans who fled the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
Another million migrants have scheduled a time to cross the border at a legal port of entry using the CBP One app.
Thousands more have benefited from smaller programs, including parole for family reunification for certain people from Latin America and the Caribbean.
As a candidate, Mr Trump vowed to end Biden's programs, arguing they went beyond US law.
Last month, the Trump administration paused processing immigration-related applications from people who came to the U.S. under some of Biden's parole programs, leaving Ukrainian Liana Avetisyan, her husband and their 14-year-old daughter in limbo.
Ms. Avetisyan, who worked in real estate in Ukraine, now assembles windows while her husband works in construction. The family left Kyiv in May 2023 and eventually bought a house in the small town of DeWitt, Iowa.
Their parole and work permits expire in May. They say they have spent about $4,000 on application fees to renew their parole and try to apply for another program known as Temporary Protected Status.
Ms. Avetisyan began to have headaches because she was worried about their situation, she said.
“We don't know what to do,” she admitted.
Fading greeting
US allies from Afghanistan who arrived in the country under Mr Biden have also fallen victim to Mr Trump's crackdown.
Rafi, a former Afghan intelligence officer,
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
