WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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AUTHOR:M.J. GDNUS
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump plans to revoke the temporary legal status of about 240,000 Ukrainians who fled the conflict with Russia, a senior Trump official and three sources familiar with the situation said, potentially putting them on a fast track to deportation.
The move, expected as early as April, would mark a sudden reversal in the treatment of Ukrainians who were welcomed under President Joe Biden’s administration.
The planned withdrawal of protections for Ukrainians began before Trump publicly clashed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week. It is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to strip the legal status of more than 1.8 million migrants who entered the United States under temporary humanitarian admission programs initiated by the Biden administration, the sources said.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said they had no immediate comment. The White House and the Ukrainian embassy did not respond to requests for comment.
Trump’s executive order, issued on Jan. 20, directs DHS to “end all categorical parole programs.”
The administration plans to revoke paroles for about 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans as early as this month, a Trump official and one of the sources familiar with the situation said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal decisions. The plan to revoke paroles for those nations was first reported by CBS News.
Migrants who are stripped of their parole status could face expedited deportation proceedings, according to an internal ICE email seen by Reuters.
Immigrants who cross the border illegally can be placed in an expedited deportation process known as express removal, for up to two years after they enter. However, for those who entered through legal ports of entry without formal “admission” to the United States — such as those on parole — there is no time limit for their expedited removal, the email said.
Biden’s programs were part of a broader effort to create temporary legal pathways to prevent illegal immigration and provide humanitarian assistance.
In addition to 240,000 Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion, and 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, these programs included more than 70,000 Afghans fleeing the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
An additional 1 million migrants scheduled their time to cross at a legal border crossing through an app known as CBP One.
Thousands more had access to smaller programs, including family reunification paroles for certain people in Latin America and the Caribbean.
As a candidate, Trump promised to end Biden’s programs, saying they overstepped the bounds of U.S. law.
The Trump administration last month suspended immigration processing for people who entered the U.S. under certain Biden parole programs — placing Ukrainian Liana Avetisyan, her husband, and their 14-year-old daughter in precarious status. Avetisyan, who worked in real estate in Ukraine, now installs windows, while her husband works in construction.
The family fled Kiev in May 2023, eventually buying a house in the small town of DeWitt, Iowa. Their paroles and work permits expire in May. They say they have spent about $4,000 in application fees to renew their paroles and try to apply for another program known as Temporary Protected Status.
Avetisyan has started getting headaches as she worries about their situation, she said.
“We don’t know what to do,” she said.
