Ukrainian refugees receive false deportation warning in US, DHS issues apology

The Trump administration acknowledged and apologised after an email was accidentally sent to some Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russia’s invasion of their country. The email stated that they needed to leave the US because their legal status was being revoked.

Approximately 240,000 Ukrainians have been settled in the US as part of the Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) programme launched by President Joe Biden’s administration.

The 20,000 Ukrainians who fled to Mexico at the start of the war were allowed entry into the US, which enabled the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to offer them temporary work permits and deportation protections on humanitarian grounds.

According to reports, some of the Ukrainian resettlers received an email this week informing them that the US Department of Homeland Security would be terminating their legal protection. The message warned that if recipients failed to leave the US, they would “be subject to potential law enforcement actions that will result in your removal from the United States” and encouraged them to sign up for self-deportation.

The DHS stated that the notice was sent in error to some Ukrainians. “The U4U parole has not been terminated,” the department clarified, sending a corrective follow-up message that read: “No actions will be taken with respect to your parole.”