Washington: In a significant administrative blunder, the US government mistakenly sent an email to several Ukrainian refugees indicating that their provisional legal status would be terminated in seven days, ordering them to leave the country.
The erroneous notice, received by Ukrainians who sought refuge in the US due to the war with Russia, caused panic among those affected this week.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) acknowledged the mistake on Friday. DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin stated, “A message was sent in error to some Ukrainians who entered the United States under the Uniting for Ukraine program.”
The email, dispatched on April 3, stated, “DHS is now exercising its discretion to terminate your parole,” which refers to the temporary legal status granted by the Biden administration to hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians. “Unless it expires sooner, your parole will terminate 7 days from the date of this notice,” it read.
To rectify the situation, the agency retracted the email on Friday and sent a follow-up message to the recipients, as reported by American broadcaster CBS. The follow-up read, “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.”
Previously, while addressing reporters in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump mentioned that the White House had not yet decided on the legal status of the 240,000 Ukrainian refugees currently residing in the US. Trump indicated that he planned to make a decision “pretty soon” and expressed that his administration did not intend to harm Ukrainian refugees. “We’re not looking to hurt anybody, and we’re certainly not looking to hurt them,” he stated, acknowledging the hardships faced by Ukrainians.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later refuted the claims, clarifying that no decision had yet been made regarding the refugees’ status.
In January, before leaving office, the Biden administration announced an extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ukrainians until October 2026, citing armed conflict and extraordinary conditions in Ukraine that hinder the safe return of individuals. Revoking TPS for Ukrainians would align with the Trump administration’s broader strategy to tighten legal immigration pathways amid an ongoing crackdown on immigration issues.
