No decision yet on ‘revoking’ legal status of Ukrainian refugees in US: Trump

Washington:   The White House has not come to a decision yet regarding the legal status of 240,000 Ukrainian refugees currently living in the US, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

Earlier on Thursday, a top foreign media outlet reported that the Trump administration is planning to revoke the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) of these Ukrainians who had fled to the US following Russia’s 2022 invasion, potentially paving the way for their deportation.

Trump said he had not made a decision on the matter yet, but planned to do so “pretty soon”. He also claimed that his administration did not want to hurt refugees from Ukraine.

“We’re not looking to hurt anybody, and we’re certainly not looking to hurt them,” Trump told reporters on Thursday in the Oval Office.

“And I’m looking at that, and there were some people that think that’s appropriate, and some people don’t, and I’ll be making a decision pretty soon.”

Trump added that Ukrainians had “gone through a lot”.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed back on the report at the time, saying no decision had been made.

The Biden administration announced in January before leaving office that it was extending temporary protected status for Ukrainians until October 2026, “due to armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions in Ukraine that prevent individuals from safely returning.”

The revocation of TPS for Ukrainians would be in line with the Trump administration’s broader approach to cracking down on legal pathways to enter the US amid a widespread crackdown on immigration.

Trump has issued a flurry of executive actions suspending the refugee program and targeting other pathways that allow migrants to enter or remain in the country.

According to four undisclosed sources who spoke to a leading foreign media outlet, the plan to revoke TPS predates Trump’s public argument with President Volodymyr Zelensky on February 28 and is part of the administration’s broader crackdown on the more than 1.8 million people staying in the US on humanitarian grounds.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in January suspended TPS protections for nearly 600,000 Venezuelans living in the US

Trump, who campaigned intensively on promises to deport millions of migrants, began rolling back protections for Ukrainian and other refugees mere days after returning to the White House.

In late January, the administration suspended the Uniting for Ukraine program, which allowed Ukrainians to stay in the US for up to two years. The programme also granted refugees the right to work and receive health insurance.

More than six million Ukrainian citizens fled their homes in the wake of Russia’s all-out invasion in 2022. Around 5.2 million remain abroad, with the vast majority receiving protection in EU countries.

The Trump administration has come under scrutiny for its treatment of Ukraine, a longstanding ally, in contrast to its increasing warmth towards Russia. In recent days, the White House has frozen all military aid shipments and stopped intelligence sharing with Kyiv.

Zelensky said on March 6 that the US and Ukraine have resumed cooperation and that delegations will meet for talks next week.

–IANS