Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians who fled to America when Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine could be deported as soon as April, it has emerged.
President Donald Trump is set to end temporary legal residency for approximately 240,000 Ukrainian refugees in the United States, according to a senior official in the Trump administration and three sources briefed on the matter, as reported by Reuters.
The decision to revoke protections for Ukrainians had been in motion even before Trump’s public dispute with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during their recent meeting in the Oval Office.
This move is part of a larger initiative by the Trump Administration to terminate legal status for over 1.8 million immigrants who were granted entry into the US through temporary humanitarian programs established under the Biden Administration, as per the sources.
The moves follows the White House suspending its intelligence sharing with Ukraine and cutting off all US military aid to the war-torn nation as America tries to force Kyiv to the negotiating table.
American intelligence has been crucial to Ukraine for it to identify Russian military targets during the brutal invasion that began in February 2022.
The major military and intelligence moves came amid serious fears that Ukraine would run out of American military supplies within a few weeks.
The planned rollback of protections for Ukrainians was underway before Trump publicly feuded with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during their meeting in the Oval Office last week (pictured)
President Donald Trump’s administration is planning to revoke temporary legal status for some 240,000 Ukrainians who fled the conflict with Russia, a senior Trump official and three sources familiar with the matter said
But in recent weeks, Zelensky and Trump have been quarrelling on the world stage, leading to souring relations between their nations.
The US-Ukraine relationship appeared on the brink of collapse last Friday when the Ukrainian leader was unceremoniously booted out of the White House without signing a long-awaited minerals deal.
Zelensky Tuesday night backtracked on this, telling the world he was ready to work under Trump’s ‘strong leadership’ and wants to ‘make things right’ after their ‘regrettable’ Oval Office row.
Trump said during his State of the Union speech later that evening that he appreciated the Ukrainian leader’s words.
But on Wednesday, the US piled pressure on Zelensky to cooperate with Trump in convening peace talks with Russia by pausing intelligence-sharing with Ukraine.
The UK, who has vowed to stand by Ukraine throughout the three-year war, is among those who have been banned from sharing Washington intelligence with Kyiv.
Information about Russia’s intentions and military movements has been critical to Ukraine’s defense and a strong indication of support from the US and other Western allies.
‘We have taken a step back and are pausing and reviewing all aspects of this relationship,’ national security adviser Mike Waltz said Wednesday.
A Ukrainian serviceman prepares to fire a M777 howitzer towards Russian positions at the frontline near Donetsk, Ukraine, Monday, March 3, 2025
Comments from top Trump administration officials suggest Ukraine could soon be receiving intelligence from the US once Zelensky shows to Trump he is serious about participating in peace talks.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe called the suspension a ‘pause’ and said it came after the disastrous meeting between the two leaders last week. Ratcliffe said Trump wanted to know that Zelensky was serious about peace.
‘On the military front and the intelligence front, the pause that allowed that to happen will go away, and I think we´ll work shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine as we have,’ he explained.
Waltz echoed Ratcliffe’s remarks during an interview on Fox News Channel’s Fox & Friends. He said: ‘I think if we can nail down these negotiations and move towards these negotiations and, in fact, put some confidence building measures on the table, then the president will take a hard look at lifting this pause.
‘We have to know that both sides are sincerely negotiating towards a partial, then permanent, peace.’
A view of damage after Russian missile hit a hotel and caused the death of three people in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine on March 6, 2025
People attend a rally addressed to the US government, asking for help in freeing Ukrainian prisoners of war held captive in Russia, in front of the US Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, March 6, 2025
Russia earlier this week hailed Trump’s decision to cut aid to Ukraine, asserting that the withdrawal of arms ‘will probably be the best contribution to the cause of peace’.
‘It is obvious that the United States has been the main supplier of this war so far. If the United States stops being (an arms supplier) or suspends these supplies, it will probably be the best contribution to the cause of peace,’ Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today.
The moves by sparked fury in Ukraine, wider Europe and among Democrats in the US, who say Trump is depriving a key American ally of assistance they need to fight Russia.
Trump’s critics suggested any long-term freeze would lengthen rather than shorten the war, as it would encourage the Kremlin to exploit Kyiv’s dwindling weapons and ammunition stocks and launch a fresh bid for more territory.
European Union leaders plan to hold emergency talks on Thursday to figure out how to quickly increase their military budgets after the Trump Administration signaled that Europe must take care of its own security and also suspended assistance to Ukraine.
‘Europe faces a clear and present danger on a scale that none of us have seen in our adult lifetime. Some of our fundamental assumptions are being undermined to their very core,’ European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned in a letter to the EU’s 27 leaders, who on Tuesday unveiled an €800bn (£669bn) plan to rearm Europe.
But perhaps the biggest challenge for the EU on Thursday will be to take a united stance at a moment when it’s fractured, since much of what the bloc does requires unanimous support.
But individual states like France are beginning to step up. French president Emmanuel Macron gravely said Wednesday night that he is open to discussing how to extend the protection offered by nuclear missiles to his nation’s European allies.
A handout photo made available by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine shows rescuers working at the site where a Russian rocket hit a five-storey hotel in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, 05 March 2025
Trump, in his speech to Congress Tuesday night, claimed that Putin has sent ‘strong signals’ he is ready for a Ukraine peace deal.
In a marathon 100-minute speech Trump also said Zelensky had written to him following the Oval Office showdown, and that the Ukrainian leader was ready to return to the negotiating table.
Trump said he ‘appreciated’ Zelensky‘s response, urged him to ink a deal allowing US companies to extract rare earth minerals from his country, and accused European countries of spending more money on Russian oil than helping Ukraine.
Trump also said he was skeptical of America sending ‘billions of dollars’ to Kyiv and asked if Democrats wanted the war to ‘keep going for another five years’.
‘Wouldn’t that be beautiful?’ Trump said sarcastically. ‘It’s time to stop this madness. It’s time to halt the killing. It’s time to end this senseless war. If you want to end wars you have to talk to both sides.’
Trump said he had been in ‘serious discussions with Russia’ and had ‘received strong signals that they are ready for peace.’
He went on: ‘I received an important letter from President Zelensky of Ukraine.’
Trump then revealed that Zelensky’s letter said: ‘Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians. Regarding the agreement on minerals and security, Ukraine is ready to sign it at any time that is convenient for you.’
Trump said: ‘I appreciate that he sent this letter, just got it a little while ago.’
He then criticized Europe over its approach to Ukraine, saying: ‘Europe has sadly spent more money buying Russian oil and gas than they have spent on defending Ukraine by far.’
Firefighters work at the site of houses destroyed by a Russian air strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in the village of Slatyne, Kharkiv region, Ukraine March 6, 2025
Trump’s move to revoke legal status for Ukranian refugees follows the executive order he issued on January 20 calling for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to ‘terminate all categorical parole programs’.
Trump, while campaigning for the White House, pledged to end the Biden-era parole programs, saying they went beyond the bounds of US law.
The president also plans to revoke parole for about 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans as soon as this month, the insiders said, requesting anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
Migrants stripped of their parole status could face fast-track deportation proceedings, according to an internal ICE email seen by Reuters.
Immigrants who cross the border illegally can be put into the fast-track deportation process known as expedited removal, for two years after they enter.
But for those who entered through legal ports of entry without being officially ‘admitted’ to the US – as with those on parole – there is no time limit on their rapid removal, the email said.
Rescuers carry a wounded person at the site of a hotel building hit by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, in this handout picture released March 6, 2025
President Donald Trump revealed Vladimir Putin has sent clear signals that he’s ready for a Ukraine peace deal in a fiery and unapologetic address to Congress on Tuesday night
The Biden programs were part of a broader effort to create temporary legal pathways to deter illegal immigration and provide humanitarian relief.
In addition to the 240,000 Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion, and the 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, these programs covered more than 70,000 Afghans escaping the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
An additional 1 million migrants scheduled a time to cross at a legal border crossing via an app known as CBP One.
Thousands more had access to smaller programs, including family reunification parole for certain people in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told Reuters the department had no announcements at this time.
DailyMail.com has approached the White House and Ukrainian Embassy for comment.
