The Trump administration is preparing to revoke legal protections for approximately 240,000 Ukrainian refugees who arrived in the U.S. after Russia’s 2022 invasion, potentially subjecting them to rapid deportation.
This development was reported by Reuters on March 6.
Humanitarian Protections on the Chopping Block
The decision, expected in April, is part of a larger rollback of humanitarian programs initiated under President Joe Biden, which provided legal status to over 1.8 million migrants from war-torn and crisis-stricken countries.
Alongside Ukrainians, the administration is reportedly planning to terminate protections for 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans, with revocations for these groups potentially beginning as soon as March.
According to an internal U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) email seen by Reuters, individuals losing their parole status could face immediate deportation under expedited removal procedures.
While undocumented migrants can typically only be subject to fast-track deportation within two years of their arrival, parolees face no such restriction, making them more vulnerable to immediate removal.
United for Ukraine Program at Risk
The Biden administration originally launched temporary legal pathways to both deter illegal migration and provide humanitarian relief. These included:
240,000 Ukrainians who fled Russia’s full-scale invasion
530,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela
70,000 Afghans escaping the Taliban
1 million migrants who scheduled legal border crossings through the CBP One app
Trump’s reported plan to cancel these programs follows the recent suspension of the United for Ukraine (U4U) initiative—a program that allowed Ukrainian refugees to legally enter the U.S. for two years through sponsorships.
The reported rollback comes as Trump continues his public feud with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
While sources indicate that the termination of parole status was already being considered, Trump’s hardline stance on Ukraine may have expedited the decision.
