200,000 Ukrainians Face Deportation From US

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

WASHINGTON/KYIV (Worthy News) – Roughly 200,000 Ukrainian refugees living in the United States face possible deportation due to policies and processing delays by U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s administration, Worthy News established Sunday.

An additional 60,000 Ukrainians obtained another status, left the U.S., or are not yet at risk of renewal, according to sources familiar with the case.

The legal limbo stems from the Uniting for Ukraine humanitarian parole program launched by former President Joe Biden in April 2022, which allowed nearly 260,000 Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion to enter the United States for two years.

The Biden administration promoted the initiative as a fast-track refuge offering work permits and temporary protection.

Yet when Trump took office in January, his administration immediately paused processing new applications and renewals, citing “security concerns” and the need to reassess programs established during the Biden era.

Internal U.S. government data show the pause left almost 200,000 Ukrainians with expiring or expired status as of March 31.

TRUMP’S RESPONSE AFTER TAKING OFFICE

Following a tense Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump said in March he was considering revoking the Ukrainians’ legal status outright.

He ultimately did not cancel Biden’s program, but allowed it to stall while security reviews continued.

In May, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to restart processing. Yet U.S. immigration officials have handled only 1,900 renewal applications since — a fraction of what is needed, sources say.

Trump also signed a spending package in July, adding a $1,000 fee to humanitarian parole applications, in addition to an existing $1,325 charge.

The White House has referred questions to the Department of Homeland Security, which has not commented.

WIDESPREAD LEGAL LIMBO SEEN

The stalled renewals have left Ukrainians unable to work legally, access health insurance, or travel without risking detention.

Some said they avoid leaving their homes, while others have departed for Canada, Europe, or South America rather than risk arrest by immigration authorities, according to sources.

Representative Mike Quigley, a Democrat from Illinois, said his office alone has fielded more than 200 pleas for help, warning many Ukrainians now “feel directly vulnerable to deportation.”

Among those affected is Kateryna Golizdra, 35, whose status expired in May. She lost her job at a Ritz-Carlton hotel in Florida, her health insurance for a liver condition, and her ability to support her displaced mother in Germany.

“It’s a constant stress, anxiety,” she told Reuters news agency. “If I need to leave the States, I’ll have to build everything again.”

Men have attempted to ‘self-deport’ using a government application offering subsidised exit flights and a $1,000 bonus — only to discover flights would be routed back to Ukraine, a prospect some said could force them toward the front line of Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War Two.

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