 "'Please depart US immediately:' Email mistake stuns 240,000 Ukrainian refugees")
Around 240,000 Ukrainians living legally in the US were left stunned on Thursday (April 3) when they received an email from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The message was that the administration of President Donald Trump has revoked their parole status, effectively meaning they must self-deport.
“DHS is now exercising its discretion to terminate your parole,” the April 3 notice said. “Unless it expires sooner, your parole will terminate 7 days from the date of this notice.” The message warned that if people didn’t leave the US, they could face legal action and be forced to leave the country — unless they had already gotten a different type of immigration status.
“Please depart the United States immediately,” it read.
Notably, the Ukrainians received the parole status under the administration of Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden. Trump has promised to revoke the programme. He has already revoked parole status of about 530,000 Venezuelans, Cubans and Haitians. Last month, he said he was considering the same for Ukrainians.
The email sent shockwaves among the Ukrainians, who have been on the edge since Trump assumed office in January.
The email, first reported by Migrant Insider, caused instant confusion. Lawmakers quickly started getting phone calls from worried people in their districts who had received the message.
Clarification from the DHS
The Ukrainians however heaved a sigh of relief as they were told the email was sent by mistake.
A spokesperson for the DHS said a final call has not been taken yet by the administration and it was not clear if the notifications were meant to be issued.
“A message was sent in error to some Ukrainians under the U4U program,” DHS said in a statement to CBS News Friday. “The U4U parole program has not been terminated.”
Impact Shorts
View AllWill Trump end parole status for Ukrainians as well?
When asked last month whether he would consider ending the parole status of Ukrainians, Trump said he would be making the decision very soon.
“We’re not looking to hurt anybody, we’re certainly not looking to hurt them, and I’m looking at that,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
“There were some people that think that’s appropriate, and some people don’t, and I’ll be making the decision pretty soon,” Trump added.
On his first day back in office, Trump told the DHS to shut down all broad parole programmes. This was part of a long list of immigration orders.
Soon after, he paused the “Uniting for Ukraine” program. That meant Ukrainians already in the US couldn’t renew their two-year protection or work permits. It also stopped any new Ukrainians from coming in under the programme.
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