The Trump Administration accidentally sent a cringeworthy email telling up to 240,000 Ukrainians legally living in the US to immediately leave the country in ‘error.’
Many Ukrainians legally in the US under a Biden-era humanitarian program received an email this week telling them their status had been revoked and they had seven days to leave the country or the ‘federal government will find you.’
‘If you do not depart the United States immediately you will be subject to potential law enforcement actions that will result in your removal from the United States,’ the Thursday email read.
‘Again, DHS is terminating your parole. Do not attempt to remain in the United States.’
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said on Friday the email had been sent in error and that the Ukrainian parole program created after the 2022 Russian invasion of that country had not been terminated.
It was not clear how many Ukrainians received the email, but around 240,000 immigrated to the US since the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Many of the immigrants who had received it had renewed their parole under the Uniting for Ukraine program. Trump paused the program, pending a review, in January.
The Department of Homeland Security sent a follow-up note on Friday, informing them that the order was in error and that ‘the terms of your parole as originally issued remain unchanged at this time.’
The Trump Administration accidentally sent a cringeworthy email telling up to 240,000 Ukrainians legally living in the US to immediately leave the country in ‘error’
Many Ukrainians legally in the US under a Biden-era humanitarian program received an email this week telling them their status had been revoked and they had seven days to leave the country or the ‘federal government will find you’ (pictured: Ukrainian refugees in Mexico waiting to legally enter the US in 2022)
It was reported last month that the Trump administration was planning to revoke temporary legal status for some 240,000 Ukrainians who fled the conflict with Russia.
Such a move, which was later called ‘fake news’ by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, would be a reversal of the welcome Ukrainians received under President Joe Biden’s Administration.
One Ukrainian parolee, who asked that her name not be used for fear of retribution from the US government, told Reuters she ‘couldn’t breathe normally and was uncontrollably crying’ upon receiving Thursday’s email.
The woman said she had renewed her immigration status last August and had been told that it was valid for another two years, and she racked her brain trying to figure out what she had done wrong to be booted from the US.
She could think of no reason, telling the outlet: ‘I don’t have as much as a parking ticket, don’t post on social media.’
Angela Boelens, president of IA NICE, a non-profit in Iowa that has sponsored dozens of Ukrainians, said she knows of at least two women who received the letter, one of whom is pregnant.
‘It’s a very scary email. All of my families are in complete panic,’ Boelens told Reuters. ‘I’d been telling people they would have time after a revocation notice. But this letter is very different.’
For Danyil, whose last name was withheld for security purposes, he cannot renew his parole due to the pause.
The Department of Homeland Security sent a follow-up note on Friday, informing them that the order was in error and that ‘the terms of your parole as originally issued remain unchanged at this time’
It was not clear how many Ukrainians received the email. Many of the immigrants who had received it had renewed their parole under the Uniting for Ukraine program. Trump paused the program, pending a review, in January (pictured: Ukrainian refugees in Mexico waiting to legally enter the US in 2022)
‘I don’t want to stay here illegally but I don’t want to go back to Ukraine. I am afraid, I am young, I want to live,’ the 20-year-old told The Guardian.
‘A lot of people like me dream of staying in the US because there’s an opportunity. I am afraid of going back, I’ve seen those soldiers.’
Previously, Trump was said to be considering ending Ukrainian’s legal status even before recent tensions between Washington and Kyiv after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a contentious meeting with Trump and VP JD Vance.
Massachusetts Senator Edward Markey criticized the Trump Administration for the vile email mistake, telling the Washington Post: ‘Telling Ukrainians they have to return to an active war zone in seven days or face criminal prosecution is unconscionable.
‘The Trump administration’s incompetence and cruelty continues to astound, and they must be held accountable.’
It was announced last month, the Trump Administration will revoke the temporary legal status of 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans in the United States.
The order applies to about 532,000 people from the four countries who came to the United States since October 2022 under a program called CHNV that the Biden administration was heavily criticized for.
Noem said they will lose their legal status on April 24, or 30 days after the publication of the notice in the Federal Register.
Previously, Trump was said to be considering ending Ukrainian’s legal status even before recent tensions between Washington and Kyiv after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a contentious meeting with Trump and VP JD Vance
The new policy impacts people who are already in the US and who came under the humanitarian parole program.
It follows an earlier Trump administration decision to end what it called the ‘broad abuse’ of the humanitarian parole, a long-standing legal tool presidents have used to allow people from countries where there’s war or political instability to enter and temporarily live in the US.
During his campaign, President Donald Trump promised to deport millions of people who are in the US illegally, and as president, he has been also ending legal pathways for immigrants to come to the US and to stay.
DHS said parolees without a lawful basis to stay in the US ‘must depart’ before their parole termination date.
