In an administrative error, the US government mistakenly issued an email to several Ukrainian refugees, notifying them that their provisional legal status would be terminated in 7 days and ordering them to leave the country.
In an administrative error, the US government mistakenly issued an email to several Ukrainian refugees, notifying them that their provisional legal status would be terminated in 7 days and ordering them to leave the country.
The notice received by the Ukrainians who sought refuge in the US following the war with Russia caused panic among the immigrants this week.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) acknowledged the error on Friday.
“A message was sent in error to some Ukrainians who entered the United States under the Uniting for Ukraine program,” said DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin in a statement.
The email, sent on April 3, read, “DHS is now exercising its discretion to terminate your parole,” referring to the temporary legal status that the Biden administration granted to hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians.
“Unless it expires sooner, your parole will terminate 7 days from the date of this notice,” it stated.
The agency also took the step of withdrawing the email on Friday, sending a follow-up message to the recipients, American broadcaster CBS reported.
“You may have received an email notification titled ‘Notice of Termination of Parole.’ The DHS sent this email to you in error. No action will be taken with respect to your parole,” it read.
Last month, addressing reporters in the Oval Office, US President Donald Trump said the White House has not come to a decision yet regarding the legal status of 240,000 Ukrainian refugees currently living in the country.
Trump said that 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 added.
“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 Temporary Protected Status (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.