WHOOPS

Ukrainian Refugees Mistakenly Told They Must Leave the U.S. by DHS

The email telling them to leave was sent on Friday to Ukrainians living in the U.S. legally.

Ukrainian refugees were mistakenly sent intimidating emails on Friday telling them it was time to leave the United States.

Migrant Insider reported late Friday that Ukrainian constituents reported receiving emails informing them that their parole status under the Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) program had been terminated.

The email, which was reportedly sent by the Department of Homeland Security, reads, “It is time for you to leave the United States... the DHS is now exercising its discretion to terminate your parole. Unless it expires sooner, your parole will terminate 7 days from the date of this notice.”

The email continues, “If you do not depart the United States immediately you will be subject to potential law enforcement actions that will result in your removal from the United States."

The U4U program was established by the Biden administration in April 2022 in order to establish a “streamlined process to provide Ukrainian citizens who have fled Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression opportunities to come to the United States.”

Under the program, participants were granted parole status for up to two years, after which they could apply for work permits. Many Ukrainians have since obtained temporary protected status that is not set to expire until October 2026.

As part of his wave of “Day One” executive orders, President Donald Trump ordered DHS officials to “terminate all categorical programs” and paused admissions for Ukrainians under the U4U program. This order prevented those already in the U.S. from renewing their parole status and work permits, and stopped new admissions into the country. Last month, Trump suggested he may also revoke the temporary legal residency granted to U4U participants.

According to DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, the parole program, which covers 240,000 Ukrainian refugees, has not been terminated. While the emails were sent in error, McLaughlin did not state whether a final determination had been made about Ukrainian refugees’ status, or when, if ever, the emails were supposed to be sent.

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Catherine BourisReporter

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