Ukrainian Refugees in US Face Deportation as Protection Expires

Tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees in the United States will begin to lose their legal protection on Friday, leaving them vulnerable to possible arrests and deportations unless the Donald Trump administration takes action.

The Gaze reports on it, referring to The Wall Street Journal.

It is estimated that about 120,000 Ukrainians who fled the war to the United States over the past two years will gradually begin to lose their humanitarian protection. These are Ukrainians who arrived in the country through the Uniting for Ukraine programme. This is a temporary legal mechanism created by the Joe Biden administration. 

They received a two-year renewable status, known as a humanitarian parole, on the condition that they find a private American sponsor willing to accept them.

The Biden administration introduced the programme as a quick way to allow Ukrainians to resettle, as the traditional system of granting refugee status in the US can take years.

At the same time, this approach had a downside — all participants in the programme received temporary status, which makes them vulnerable if it ends. In addition, if the government wants to arrest them, it already has their home addresses.

After taking office, Donald Trump closed the programme and stopped renewing the status of those whose work permits were expiring.

In total, about a quarter of a million Ukrainians arrived in the US under the Uniting for Ukraine programme. 

Those who arrived before 16 August 2023 are still protected by another programme – Temporary Protected Status. But about 120,000 Ukrainians who arrived on or after that date will become illegal immigrants when their humanitarian parole expires.

Earlier this summer, Trump told reporters that he was inclined to allow Ukrainians to remain in the United States until the war ended. ‘We have a lot of people who have come from Ukraine, and we are working with them,’ he said.