Processing of applications reportedly remains slow following a temporary pause linked to President Trump’s border security measures
Some 200,000 Ukrainians in the US could lose their legal status because of Washington’s border security crackdown, Reuters reported on Saturday, citing internal US government data.
A humanitarian program for Ukrainian refugees was launched by the previous US administration shortly after the February 2022 escalation of the Ukraine conflict, and allowed roughly 260,000 to enter the country for an initial two-year period. President Donald Trump paused the processing of applications and renewals earlier this year as part of a broader freeze on several nationality-based humanitarian programs, citing security concerns.
In March, Trump said he was considering revoking the Ukrainians’ legal status entirely, but ultimately did not end the program. In May, processing of renewals was resumed.
Immigration officials have, however, processed only 1,900 renewal applications for Ukrainians and other nationalities since then, representing a fraction of those with expiring status, the news agency noted. Meanwhile, those waiting for decisions on extensions could be detained by federal immigration authorities once their status expires, former immigration officials told Reuters.
Across Europe, public and political support for hosting Ukrainians has been declining. Last month, the European Commission formally notified Kiev that the temporary protection scheme will not be extended beyond the current term.
In August, Germany, which hosts over 1.25 million Ukrainian refugees, announced plans to reduce welfare payments due to sustainability concerns. Polish officials have recently raised questions over the scale of support provided to Ukrainians and President Karol Nawrocki suggested earlier this month that preferential treatment for them could end.
In the UK, the authorities reportedly have increasingly denied long-term protection and work visas for Ukrainians, arguing that western regions of Ukraine are now safe.
Several million Ukrainians have fled their country over the past three years. Almost 4.4 million have received temporary protection in the EU. Russia has said that 5.5 million Ukrainians arrived by the end of 2023. Many left not only due to the conflict, but also tighter mobilization practices that have led to confrontations between draft officers and men trying to avoid conscription.
