The Trump administration is reportedly poised to revoke temporary legal status for about 240,000 Ukrainians residing in the country after fleeing the war with Russia.
Several sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that this move would subject the Ukrainians, along with other immigrants, to deportation.
The planned rollback of protections for Ukrainians was underway before Trump publicly feuded with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last week. It is part of a broader Trump administration effort to strip legal status from more than 1.8 million migrants allowed to enter the U.S. under temporary humanitarian parole programs launched under the Biden administration, the sources said.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the department had no announcements at this time. The White House and Ukrainian embassy did not respond to requests for comment.
A Trump executive order issued on January 20 called for DHS to "terminate all categorical parole programs."
The administration plans to revoke parole for about 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans as soon as this month, the Trump official and one of the sources familiar with the matter said, requesting anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. The plan to revoke parole for those nationalities was first reported, opens new tab by CBS News.
Migrants stripped of their parole status could face fast-track deportation proceedings, according to an internal ICE email seen by Reuters.
This move would mark a significant reversal of the Biden administration’s treatment of Ukrainian refugees and comes amid increased tensions between Washington and Kyiv. It is part of Trump’s overall effort to remove legal status from over 1.8 million migrants who were allowed into the country under temporary humanitarian programs implemented under the previous administration.
However, the report appears to be inaccurate.
President Trump has reportedly denied plans to revoke Ukrainian migrants’ legal status. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt in a post on X referred to Reuters’ report as “fake news” that came from “anonymous sources who have no idea what they are talking about.”
Leavitt further explained that “no decision has been made at this time.”
This is more fake news from Reuters based on anonymous sources who have no idea what they are talking about.
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) March 6, 2025
The truth: no decision has been made at this time. pic.twitter.com/djf0CjTfiD
This development also comes after the White House temporarily cut off all military aid to Ukraine while also halting intelligence sharing with the war-torn country. It is believed that this move was aimed to forcing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to come back to the negotiating table after their confrontation last week.
BREAKING: The United States is pausing all U.S. military aid to Ukraine until President Trump determines the Ukrainians show a commitment to good faith peace negotiations, a senior Trump administration official tells Fox News.
— Lucas Tomlinson (@LucasFoxNews) March 3, 2025
"This is not permanent termination of aid, it's a…
Zelensky earlier this week tried to make peace with President Donald Trump after the debacle in the White House.
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