The Trump administration is preparing to revoke temporary legal protections for approximately 240,000 Ukrainians who sought refuge in the United States after fleeing the war with Russia, sources say.
This marks a significant shift from President Biden’s more welcoming immigration policies.
The move, expected as early as April, is part of a broader effort to terminate legal protections for over 1.8 million migrants admitted under Biden’s humanitarian parole programs, according to Reuters.
A January 20 executive order directed DHS to terminate these programs, affecting 530,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
Migrants losing parole status could face expedited deportation, as outlined in an ICE memo.
Under current policy, those who entered legally under parole programs—without formal admission—can be removed without time restrictions.
Biden’s programs aimed to provide temporary legal pathways and humanitarian aid.
They covered not only Ukrainians but also Latin American migrants, 70,000 Afghans, and over a million others who used the CBP One app.
Trump had pledged to dismantle them, arguing they exceeded legal limits.
Recent policy shifts have left many migrants in limbo. Ukrainian migrant Liana Avetisian, who fled Kyiv in 2023 and settled in Iowa, now faces uncertainty as her parole and work permit expire in May.
Similarly, Rafi, a former Afghan intelligence officer trained by the U.S., was detained in Virginia after his parole was revoked. Feeling abandoned, he lamented.
“I wasn’t expecting this behavior from them.”
ICE denied a petition for Rafi’s release, stating that priorities changed with Trump’s inauguration.
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