Trump May Leave 100,000 Ukrainians in US Immigration Limbo Rather Than Renew Protections

More than 100,000 Ukrainians in the United States face an uncertain future as the Trump administration approaches an Oct. 19 deadline to decide whether to renew their temporary protected status (TPS).Politico reported on Oct. 8 that some US lawmakers are considering allowing the protections to expire without formally canceling them, potentially triggering an automatic six-month extension that could delay deportations but leave Ukrainians in legal limbo.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.The administration of US President Donald Trump must decide whether to extend or terminate the protections, which allow eligible Ukrainians who fled Russia’s full-scale invasion to remain in the US and work legally.According to Politico, some lawmakers from both parties are urging the administration to renew the protections.Others are discussing a less direct alternative: allowing the current designation to expire without formally terminating it, potentially triggering an automatic six-month extension.The approach would give Ukrainians additional time in the US without resolving their longer-term immigration status, according to Politico.A similar situation emerged in September when protections for Salvadoran migrants expired without a formal termination or renewal announcement. The resulting uncertainty left some recipients and employers unsure about their ability to work and study, the report added.A congressional aide familiar with bipartisan discussions on Ukraine policy told Politico that the political backlash over deporting Ukrainians to a country still at war could make the fallback option attractive to the administration, despite its drawbacks. Other Topics of Interest Ukrainian Child Rescue Advocate Among Nobel Peace Prize Contenders as Trump Eyes Award Mykola Kuleba’s campaign to return Ukrainian children taken by Russia draws Nobel attention as Trump pushes for the prestigious peace award. “It’s flawed to keep them in a limbo status like El Salvador, but that might be a likely path for the admin,” the aide said.Bipartisan push to extend protectionsLawmakers supporting an extension argue that Ukrainians should not be forced to return while Russia continues attacking Ukrainian cities and occupies parts of the country.Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat from New Hampshire and longtime supporter of Ukraine, said she was urging the administration to renew the protections but acknowledged that the current immigration policy made such a decision difficult to foresee.A bipartisan group of senators, including Republicans Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, also urged the administration to extend TPS for Ukrainians in a Sept. 22 letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.The senators argued that Ukrainian TPS recipients contribute to key US industries, including transportation, health care and construction. Ending their protections could remove experienced workers from the labor market and raise costs for American consumers, they warned.Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Murkowski have also backed bipartisan legislation introduced by Democratic Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado that would extend TPS for Ukrainians through 2029.Not all Republicans support extending the program. Sen. Jim Banks of Indiana has criticized TPS as a policy that places American workers at a disadvantage, while some immigration hardliners have called for ending the program more broadly.The debate over Ukrainian TPS comes as the Trump administration faces pressure from immigration hardliners to restrict protections for migrants.According to Politico, some lawmakers see allowing the protections to expire without formally canceling them as a way to balance those competing demands ahead of the US midterm elections.The administration has also ended protections for migrants from several other countries, including Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen, as part of its broader effort to restrict immigration. In May, however, it extended protections for Lebanese migrants for another six months amid ongoing conflict involving Israel and Hezbollah.The White House referred Politico to the Department of Homeland Security when asked about the future of Ukrainian TPS. US Citizenship and Immigration Services, which operates under DHS, declined to comment directly on the decision.Ukraine’s future in US immigration policy remains uncertainThe debate over TPS is unfolding against a backdrop of strained US-Ukraine relations and disagreements over Washington’s continued support for Kyiv.A person familiar with administration discussions told Politico that the broader relationship between the two countries was influencing the outlook for Ukrainian migrants, arguing that there was little incentive for the administration to take a step seen as favorable to Ukraine.Trump previously considered ending a separate program that allowed Americans to sponsor Ukrainians seeking refuge in the US. His administration ultimately stopped accepting new applications for that program after facing bipartisan criticism.Ukraine’s government has not publicly commented on the future of TPS for its citizens in the US, and the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington did not respond to Politico’s request for comment. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.