The Trump administration created chaos among Ukrainian immigrants this week when it accidentally sent them threatening deportation emails. Almost 240,000 Ukrainians entered the US under the Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) program, which President Joe Biden created to provide temporary protection following Russia’s invasion. Suddenly, some of them were receiving ominous notices. The emails said their legal status had been canceled and they had only seven days to depart the country.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) moved fast to apologize. Officials attributed the message to a clerical mistake. But for some refugees, the harm was done. The error reignited new fears about Trump’s tough immigration policies and whether their future in the US is secure.
Deportation Emails Spark Fear and Backlash
The emails left no question. DHS stated that it would “terminate parole” and instructed recipients to depart immediately. One sentence read, “Do not try to stay… the federal government will look for you.” Some even received orders to sign up for “self-deportation.”
The response from Ukrainian families was instant and emotional. They had already fled bombings and trauma at home. Now, they feared being pushed back into a war zone. One woman told Reuters that she couldn’t breathe when she received the message. Others cried in fear and confusion.
Within hours, public outrage broke out on the web. Immigration activists criticized the mistake. DHS later issued a second message, announcing the U4U program was still active and no action would be taken. But the emotional damage was done.
Sign of Harsher Policies to Come?
This email error came on the heels of the Trump administration’s move to terminate other humanitarian parole initiatives. Protections for Haitians, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans, and Cubans were already canceled, with those individuals being ordered to depart by April 24. Now, numerous Ukrainian refugees are worried that they might be next.
Although DHS assures that the U4U program is secure for the time being, Trump’s return to aggressive immigration measures casts a long shadow. For thousands of Ukrainians who believed they had discovered safe haven, that sense of security now seems tenuous and short-lived.
