Trump 'looking at' revoking legal status of Ukrainians in US
What's the story
United States President Donald Trump has announced that his administration is considering revoking the temporary protections provided to thousands of Ukrainians who fled to the US amid the ongoing conflict with Russia.
"We're not looking to hurt anybody, and we're certainly not looking to hurt them....I'll be making a decision pretty soon," Trump said.
The planned rollback of protections would be part of a larger effort by the Trump administration to take away legal status from over 1.8 million migrants.
Pending decision
No final decision yet on Ukrainian protections: White House
These migrants had come to the US under temporary humanitarian parole programs during the Biden administration, a senior Trump official and three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Earlier, Reuters had reported that the Trump administration was planning to revoke protections for around 240,000 Ukrainians who came to the US after Russia's 2022 invasion.
However, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified that no decision had been finalized yet.
Program scrutiny
Biden's Uniting for Ukraine program under review
US Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin also said on Wednesday that the department had no new announcements
The program gave migrants a two-year parole in the US if they obtained a US-based sponsor.
Before leaving office, the Biden administration also extended temporary protected status (TPS) for Ukrainians until October 2026 amid continued armed conflict and unsafe conditions in Ukraine.
Policy overview
Trump's immigration policies target legal entry pathways
But on January 20, Trump issued an executive order, calling for DHS to "terminate all categorical parole programs."
His administration has also targeted parole programs for citizens of Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
In January, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem suspended TPS protections for some 600,000 Venezuelans and then took similar action against some 520,000 Haitians.