President Donald Trump’s administration is moving swiftly to revoke temporary legal status for upwards of 240,000 Ukrainians who fled to the U.S. after the war with Russia began, sources alleged Thursday.
Reuters reports a senior Trump official and three sources familiar with the matter confirmed the move to the outlet, potentially putting the Ukrainians on a fast-track to deportation back to their homeland.
The move, expected as soon as April, would sweep up the unreserved welcome mat laid out under President Joe Biden’s administration.
U.S. and Ukrainian officials have not confirmed the claims contained in the report.
Around 5.2 million Ukrainian refugees remain abroad with the vast majority of them receiving protection in E.U. countries.
The deportations would complement a larger effort by the Trump administration to revoke temporary legal status for more than 1.8 million migrants allowed to enter the U.S. under previous humanitarian parole programs, the sources said.
Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 20 requesting the Department of Homeland Security to “terminate all categorical parole programs.”
The Trump administration is also reportedly expected to revoke temporary legal status for migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela who flew to the U.S. with American sponsors, CBS News claimed, citing internal government documents.
The move would affect over 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans. Some 77,000 Afghans who escaped the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan are also covered under the parole programs.
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