The administration of US President Donald Trump plans to revoke the temporary legal status of about 240,000 Ukrainians who fled the conflict with Russia, reports "Reuters", citing a senior Trump official and three sources familiar with the matter, quoted by News.bg.
This measure would put Ukrainian citizens on a fast track to deportation.
The decision is expected to be made as early as April and would represent a significant reversal in U.S. policy toward Ukrainian refugees, especially after the celebrations of their admission under the administration of former President Joe Biden.
The revocation of protected status for Ukrainians is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to remove the legal status of more than 1.8 million migrants who were allowed to enter the United States under humanitarian programs created during the Biden administration. This initiative was launched even before Trump publicly clashed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week.
Trump's executive order, issued on January 20, directs the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to end all categorical parole programs.
In addition to Ukrainians, the parole of about 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans is scheduled to be revoked this month.
Migrants who lose this status will be subject to expedited deportation. For those who enter illegally, there is a two-year deadline for expedited deportation, while for those who entered through legal border crossings but were not officially admitted, there is no such limit.
The programs implemented during the Biden administration were intended to create temporary legal pathways to deter illegal immigration and provide humanitarian assistance.
In addition to 240,000 Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion, these programs included another 530,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, as well as more than 70,000 Afghans fleeing the Taliban. Another million migrants were to be allowed through legal border crossings through an application known as CBP One.
Trump promised to end these programs during his election campaign, stressing that they went beyond the scope of US law. Last month, the Trump administration paused the processing of immigration applications related to these programs.