The U.S. could leave more than 100,000 Ukrainians in "limbo" after temporary protection ends - Politico
Kyiv • UNN
TPS for Ukrainians in the U.S. expires on October 19. The program may not be extended, leaving automatic protection in place for another six months.
The Donald Trump administration is considering several options for Ukrainians to remain in the United States after temporary protection expires. One of them is not to officially extend the program, but not to cancel it either, which could give people another six months without the threat of immediate deportation. Politico reported this, citing sources familiar with the matter, UNN writes.
Details
The temporary protected status (TPS) program for Ukrainians expires on October 19. By that date, the White House must decide whether to extend it for more than 100,000 Ukrainian citizens who fled to the United States because of the war.
Some lawmakers from both parties support extending the protection. At the same time, Congress is also discussing a backup scenario: allowing the program to formally expire without a separate decision to terminate it. Under this approach, an automatic six-month extension mechanism could be triggered.
The U.S. administration has already applied a similar arrangement to citizens of El Salvador. However, problems then arose over determining their rights to work and study. Thus, although such an option could postpone the deportation of Ukrainians, it would not guarantee them complete legal certainty.
Politico's sources note that the administration must take into account the possible political consequences of the mass deportation of Ukrainians to a country where a war is ongoing. At the same time, ending the protection could meet the demands of supporters of a tougher immigration policy, who insist on tighter controls over migrants.
Washington's decision could also be influenced by relations between the United States and Ukraine. According to one of the publication's sources, Trump's team has pushed the war into the background, while no noticeable changes in its approach to Kyiv have occurred so far. The source believes that the simplest option for the administration would be to allow the program to expire.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services declined to comment on the possible decision. It only reported that it continues to review individual applications for reauthorization to remain in the country in accordance with current procedures.