in-cyprus 7 March 2025
The Trump administration is preparing to revoke temporary legal status for approximately 240,000 Ukrainians who fled the conflict with Russia, according to a senior Trump official and three sources familiar with the deliberations told Reuters.
The decision, which could come as early as April, represents a significant shift from policies established under President Joe Biden’s administration and potentially places affected individuals on a fast-track to deportation proceedings.
According to Reuters indicate the planned rollback was already in development before recent public tensions between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The move is part of a broader administrative effort to terminate legal status for more than 1.8 million migrants who entered the United States under various humanitarian parole programs implemented during the Biden presidency.
When contacted about the plans, U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin stated the department had no announcements at this time. The White House and Ukrainian embassy did not respond to requests for comment.
The administration’s approach appears to align with a January 20 executive order directing the Department of Homeland Security to “terminate all categorical parole programs”.
According to the Trump official and another source familiar with the deliberations, the administration also plans to revoke parole for approximately 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans as soon as this month.
An internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) email reviewed by Reuters indicates that migrants who lose their parole status could face expedited deportation proceedings. Unlike individuals who crossed the border illegally, those who entered through legal ports of entry without being officially “admitted” to the U.S. — as with parole recipients — may be subject to rapid removal without time limitations.
The Biden administration established these programs as part of a strategy to create temporary legal pathways that would simultaneously provide humanitarian relief and discourage illegal border crossings. In addition to the Ukrainian and other national groups, the programs covered more than 70,000 Afghans fleeing Taliban rule and approximately one million migrants who scheduled border crossings through the CBP One mobile application.
During his campaign, Trump pledged to end these programs, arguing they exceeded the bounds of U.S. immigration law.
Last month, the administration paused processing immigration-related applications for individuals who entered under certain Biden parole programs, leaving many in uncertain legal status.
Among those affected is Liana Avetisian, who fled Kyiv with her husband and 14-year-old daughter in May 2023.
The family purchased a home in DeWitt, Iowa, where Avetisian now assembles windows while her husband works in construction.
Their parole and work permits expire in May, and they have spent approximately $4,000 in filing fees attempting to renew their status and apply for Temporary Protected Status.
“We don’t know what to do,” Avetisian said, noting she has begun experiencing headaches from the stress of their situation.
The policy shift has also impacted U.S. allies from Afghanistan. Rafi, a former Afghan intelligence officer who requested partial anonymity to protect family members still in Afghanistan, entered the U.S. legally in January 2024 using the CBP One app. He was granted temporary humanitarian parole allowing him to live and work in the United States for two years.
On February 13, during a scheduled check-in appointment at an ICE office in Chantilly, Virginia, Rafi was detained and his status revoked. According to a recommendation letter reviewed by Reuters, Rafi provided intelligence on “High Value Targets” while working alongside American officers in Afghanistan.
“As a result of his active efforts against the enemy, he is currently in extreme danger, and in need of assistance in departing the country,” wrote a former CIA officer who trained him.
Rafi, who has applied for asylum with a hearing scheduled for April, expressed a sense of betrayal. “When someone stands shoulder to shoulder with American troops and puts his life in danger…” he said during a phone call from detention, his voice shaking. “I wasn’t expecting this behaviour from them.”
Despite a request from Rafi’s lawyer noting his lack of criminal record, active asylum case, and support for U.S. military operations in Afghanistan, James Mullan, assistant field office director at ICE’s Washington field office, declined to release him.
“The priorities that you mentioned in your email ended on January 20, 2025,” Mullan wrote, referring to Trump’s inauguration date.
