Trump admin mistakenly informs Ukrainian refugees they must leave US immediately, CBS reports

The Trump administration acknowledged on April 4 that it had mistakenly informed some Ukrainian refugees their legal status in the U.S. was being revoked and that they needed to leave immediately, CBS News reported.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) clarified to the media outlet that the emails sent to the refugees were an error, following confusion around the legal protections granted to Ukrainians under the Biden administration.

Earlier this week, several Ukrainians who entered the U.S. after Russia’s full-scale invasion of their homeland received emails saying that their legal status would be terminated.

The notice, dated April 3, informed recipients that DHS was "exercising its discretion to terminate your parole," a temporary legal status granted by the Biden administration to those displaced by the war. The letter warned that unless the parole expired sooner, it would end seven days from the date of the notice.

There was no immediate information on how many Ukrainians received the notice.

The Biden administration’s Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) program allowed around 240,000 Ukrainians to enter the U.S. under humanitarian grounds, with more than 20,000 Ukrainians entering through Mexico after the war began. This program granted temporary work permits and deportation protections.

The notice also indicated that work permits would be revoked once parole status was terminated and urged recipients to voluntarily leave the country using a government app called CBP Home, which the Trump administration repurposed for self-deportation. "Again, DHS is terminating your parole. Do not attempt to remain in the United States — the federal government will find you," the notice read.

DHS later confirmed to CBS News that the termination notices were sent by mistake, and reassured that the U4U program had not been terminated.

While the Trump administration has not officially ended the U4U program, it has suspended admissions and status renewals. Advocates remain concerned, however, that DHS might attempt to strip Ukrainians of their legal protections in the future, especially as the Trump administration continues its broader crackdown on both illegal and legal immigration programs.