President Trump plans to revoke temporary legal status for 240,000 Ukrainians who fled Russia’s invasion, potentially leading to deportations starting in April. This move reflects a broader effort to terminate humanitarian parole programs affecting over 1.8 million migrants, reversing recent Biden administration policies supporting Ukrainian refugees. The decision intensifies the feud between Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy.
President Donald Trump is reportedly planning to revoke the temporary legal status of approximately 240,000 Ukrainians who fled the war caused by Russia’s invasion. This decision may occur as soon as April, potentially leading to deportations and aligns with Trump’s wider objective to increase deportations. This move follows a series of escalations in the feud between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The anticipated revocation is part of a broader initiative by the Trump administration to terminate the temporary legal status of over 1.8 million migrants who entered the United States through humanitarian parole programs instituted under President Joe Biden. Although the White House and Ukraine’s embassy in Washington did not immediately provide comments on this matter, the implications are significant for these migrant communities.
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is granted by the Department of Homeland Security to citizens of countries that cannot safely accept them back due to armed conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary conditions. After Russia’s invasion, Ukraine was designated for TPS by then-Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in March 2022, with an extension now in place until October 2026.
In an executive order signed on January 20, Trump requested the Department of Homeland Security to end all categorical parole programs, which could also affect migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. This potential action could impact over 530,000 individuals from these nations, in addition to 77,000 Afghans who escaped from the Taliban regime.
Such a revocation would signify a stark reversal of President Biden’s initiatives aimed at supporting Ukrainian refugees, like the “Uniting for Ukraine” program, which allows Ukrainians facing hardship due to the ongoing conflict to enter the U.S. In recent statements, Trump has claimed responsibility for conducting the “largest deportation operation” in U.S. history and has consistently advocated for the deportation of all migrants with criminal allegations.
This decision also intensifies the ongoing dispute between Trump and President Zelenskyy, which reached a peak recently during a combative Oval Office meeting. Tensions arose after Zelenskyy objected to Trump’s and Vice President JD Vance’s suggestions for Ukraine to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin. While Trump had previously labeled Zelenskyy as a “dictator,” he has since modified those remarks but continues to advocate for swift peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.
In conclusion, President Trump’s reported plans to revoke temporary legal status for 240,000 Ukrainians could lead to significant deportations, marking a halt to Biden’s supportive policies for Ukrainian refugees. This decision is part of a larger strategy to end various humanitarian parole programs impacting millions of migrants from several nations, solidifying Trump’s commitment to stricter immigration policies amidst ongoing tensions with Ukrainian leadership. The implications of these actions will be closely monitored as they unfold.
Original Source: www.forbes.com
