Trump Wants to Deprive Ukrainians of Legal Status in the US

The Trump administration plans to revoke temporary legal status for about 240 Ukrainians who fled the war with Russia, a senior White House official said. Three people familiar with the matter confirmed the move. The president's move could lead to swift deportations, writes USA Today.

Photo: National © Larysa Ros | Dreamstime.com

The move, expected as early as April, would be a sharp reversal in attitudes toward Ukrainians, who were welcomed under the Biden administration.

The planned rollback of protections for Ukrainians began before Trump publicly clashed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Feb. 28. It is part of a broader Trump administration campaign to strip the legal status of more than 1,8 million migrants who were allowed into the U.S. under the temporary humanitarian parole programs, known as “Parole,” launched under Biden, the people said.

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DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said the agency was not making any statements at this time.

Trump's executive order, issued on January 20, directed DHS to "terminate all categorical protection programs."

The White House plans to lift the "password" for about 530 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans as early as this month, according to a Trump administration official and one of the people familiar with the matter, who asked to remain anonymous.

Migrants stripped of their protected status may face expedited deportation proceedings, according to an internal email from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

This process is known as “express removal” from the country within two years of entry. However, for those who crossed the border through legal ports of entry without being officially “received” into the U.S. (as is the case for those under protection), there is no time limit on their expedited removal, the letter says.

Biden's programs were part of a broader push to create temporary legal pathways to curb illegal immigration and provide humanitarian aid.

In addition to 240 Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion and 000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, the programs reached more than 530 Afghans fleeing the Taliban, who had seized power in the country.

Another 1 million migrants have signed up to cross the border at a legal port of entry through the CBP One app.

Thousands more have accessed smaller programs, including protection for family reunification.

Trump, as a candidate, promised to end Biden's programs, saying they went beyond American law.

Last month, the Trump administration suspended immigration processing for people who entered the U.S. under certain Biden protections, leaving Ukrainian Liana Avetisyan, her husband, and their 14-year-old daughter in limbo. Avetisyan, who worked in real estate in Ukraine, now assembles windows while her husband works in construction.

The family fled Kyiv in May 2023, eventually buying a home in the small town of DeWitt, Iowa. Their protection and work permits expire in May. They say they have spent about $4000 on application fees to renew their protection and try to apply for another program, known as temporary protected status.

Liana began to suffer from headaches caused by stress.

"We don't know what to do," she admitted.

US allies from Afghanistan who moved in under Biden have also been hit by Trump's tough measures.

Rafii, a former Afghan intelligence officer who asked to be identified only by his first name to protect family members still in Afghanistan, entered the U.S. legally in January 2024 using the CBP One mobile app at the U.S.-Mexico border. He received Temporary Humanitarian Protected Status, which allowed him to live and work in the U.S. for two years.

On February 13, just over a year later, he was detained at a screening meeting at an ICE office in Chantilly, Virginia. His status was revoked.

In Afghanistan, American officers trained Rafii to gather intelligence, and he provided the information he learned on “high-value targets,” according to an October 2022 letter of recommendation.

"As a result of his active efforts against the enemy, he is in extreme danger and requires assistance to leave the country," wrote a former CIA officer who trained him.

He described Rafii as “one of the most dedicated and hard-working individuals I have had the privilege of serving with in Afghanistan.” Rafii has applied for asylum in the United States and is scheduled to appear in immigration court in April.

He said that at a screening meeting with ICE officials in February — one of the conditions of his temporary status — he was asked to remove his belt and shoelaces. Rafii immediately realized what was happening, but still asked, “Are you arresting me? I haven’t broken any laws.”

Now he is tormented by an overwhelming feeling that he has been betrayed.

"When someone stands shoulder to shoulder with American troops and puts their life in danger..." he broke off mid-sentence in a phone call from his detention center, his voice shaking and breaking. "I didn't expect that kind of attitude from them. I didn't expect that..."

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On February 24, his attorney wrote to ICE asking for his client's release because he has no criminal record and it is not in his best interest to flee because he has an active asylum case related to his work supporting the U.S. military in Afghanistan.

James Mullan, assistant director of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Washington, responded that ICE was refusing to release the former Afghan intelligence officer.

"The priorities you mentioned in your email ended on January 20, 2025," Mullan wrote, referring to the date of Trump's inauguration.

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