In a deeply unsettling moment for thousands of Ukrainian refugees in the United States, the Trump administration has admitted it mistakenly sent out deportation notices to individuals legally residing under a humanitarian programme. The emails, sent earlier this week, instructed some recipients to leave the country within seven days or face deportation.
“DHS is now exercising its discretion to terminate your parole,” the message read. “Unless it expires sooner, your parole will terminate 7 days from the date of this notice.”
It went further still. “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,” it stated. “Do not attempt to remain in the United States – the federal government will find you.”
For refugees who had fled Russian bombs, such words carried weight far beyond bureaucratic error. Panic quickly spread among Ukrainian families.
A refugee’s worst nightmare
One woman, who fled Ukraine and now lives in the US under the Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) programme, described being plunged into shock. Speaking anonymously out of fear of retaliation, she said: “I couldn’t breathe normally and was uncontrollably crying.”
She had renewed her immigration status just last August. It was supposed to be valid for another two years. She hadn’t committed any infractions. “I don’t have as much as a parking ticket, don’t post on social media,” she said. “I couldn’t think of a reason for being told to leave.”
Angela Boelens, president of the Iowa-based non-profit IA NICE, said she knew of at least two Ukrainian women who received the letter. One of them is pregnant. “It’s a very scary email,” Boelens said. “All of my families are in complete panic.”
DHS blames internal error
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed on Friday that the email had been sent in error. It assured the public that the Uniting for Ukraine programme, established under Joe Biden’s administration in 2022, remained intact.
“The U4U parole programme has not been terminated,” DHS said in a statement. “No action will be taken with respect to your parole.”
A follow-up message reiterated that “the terms of your parole as originally issued remain unchanged at this time.”
It remains unclear how many individuals received the mistaken email. The government has not released an exact figure.
240,000 lives in limbo
Roughly 240,000 Ukrainians were granted temporary legal status in the US under U4U, launched as Russia invaded its neighbour in 2022. The programme offered two-year parole, work permits, and protection from deportation. Over 20,000 more entered via Mexico at the war’s onset, receiving similar humanitarian relief.
But the Trump administration has shown signs of reversing these policies. On his first day in office, Trump directed DHS to terminate “all categorical parole programmes.” Admissions under U4U were paused. Renewals for current residents were blocked. Future entries were halted.
The administration has already revoked parole for over 530,000 individuals from Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua — instructing them to self-deport by 24 April.
Ukrainians, so far, have been spared such formal cancellation. But the erroneous emails have stirred fear that they may be next.
Trump weighs options
Asked last month about revoking Ukrainians’ protections, Trump offered a typically vague but ominous answer: “We’re not looking to hurt anybody, we’re certainly not looking to hurt them, and I’m looking at that,” he said. “There were some people that think that’s appropriate, and some people don’t, and I’ll be making the decision pretty soon.”
That uncertainty has left thousands of Ukrainians on edge, especially after Thursday’s mistaken warning. Lawmakers were flooded with constituent calls once the email went public.
The message was first reported by Migrant Insider. It was blunt and terrifying. But even more so, it felt real — not an abstract threat, but an official order. It made clear the harsh reality of policy-by-error and the fragility of refugee protections.
Meanwhile, the administration is facing unrelated legal heat for another deportation misstep. A federal judge ruled on Friday that officials acted without “legal basis” when they deported Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man living in Maryland, to El Salvador in March.
Garcia’s removal was carried out under the Alien Enemies Act — a rarely used statute now controversially invoked by Trump officials. Judge Paula Xinis ordered the government to return him to the US by Monday, though the justice department has said it plans to appeal.
Together, these developments paint a chilling picture of an immigration system in disarray — one in which administrative error, rapid policy shifts, and political theatre collide.
For now, DHS insists no Ukrainian under U4U will be deported. But the damage has already been done. The sudden threat — even retracted — has sown fear, confusion, and mistrust.
“There’s already so much anxiety in our community,” said Boelens. “This just shattered what little confidence we had left.”
As the Trump administration presses ahead with its hardline immigration agenda, Ukrainian refugees, once welcomed in a moment of global solidarity, now find themselves once again looking over their shoulders — caught between war and political whim.
(With inputs from Reuters)
“DHS is now exercising its discretion to terminate your parole,” the message read. “Unless it expires sooner, your parole will terminate 7 days from the date of this notice.”
It went further still. “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,” it stated. “Do not attempt to remain in the United States – the federal government will find you.”
For refugees who had fled Russian bombs, such words carried weight far beyond bureaucratic error. Panic quickly spread among Ukrainian families.
A refugee’s worst nightmare
One woman, who fled Ukraine and now lives in the US under the Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) programme, described being plunged into shock. Speaking anonymously out of fear of retaliation, she said: “I couldn’t breathe normally and was uncontrollably crying.”
She had renewed her immigration status just last August. It was supposed to be valid for another two years. She hadn’t committed any infractions. “I don’t have as much as a parking ticket, don’t post on social media,” she said. “I couldn’t think of a reason for being told to leave.”
Angela Boelens, president of the Iowa-based non-profit IA NICE, said she knew of at least two Ukrainian women who received the letter. One of them is pregnant. “It’s a very scary email,” Boelens said. “All of my families are in complete panic.”
DHS blames internal error
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed on Friday that the email had been sent in error. It assured the public that the Uniting for Ukraine programme, established under Joe Biden’s administration in 2022, remained intact.
“The U4U parole programme has not been terminated,” DHS said in a statement. “No action will be taken with respect to your parole.”
A follow-up message reiterated that “the terms of your parole as originally issued remain unchanged at this time.”
It remains unclear how many individuals received the mistaken email. The government has not released an exact figure.
240,000 lives in limbo
Roughly 240,000 Ukrainians were granted temporary legal status in the US under U4U, launched as Russia invaded its neighbour in 2022. The programme offered two-year parole, work permits, and protection from deportation. Over 20,000 more entered via Mexico at the war’s onset, receiving similar humanitarian relief.
But the Trump administration has shown signs of reversing these policies. On his first day in office, Trump directed DHS to terminate “all categorical parole programmes.” Admissions under U4U were paused. Renewals for current residents were blocked. Future entries were halted.
The administration has already revoked parole for over 530,000 individuals from Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua — instructing them to self-deport by 24 April.
Ukrainians, so far, have been spared such formal cancellation. But the erroneous emails have stirred fear that they may be next.
Trump weighs options
Asked last month about revoking Ukrainians’ protections, Trump offered a typically vague but ominous answer: “We’re not looking to hurt anybody, we’re certainly not looking to hurt them, and I’m looking at that,” he said. “There were some people that think that’s appropriate, and some people don’t, and I’ll be making the decision pretty soon.”
That uncertainty has left thousands of Ukrainians on edge, especially after Thursday’s mistaken warning. Lawmakers were flooded with constituent calls once the email went public.
The message was first reported by Migrant Insider. It was blunt and terrifying. But even more so, it felt real — not an abstract threat, but an official order. It made clear the harsh reality of policy-by-error and the fragility of refugee protections.
Meanwhile, the administration is facing unrelated legal heat for another deportation misstep. A federal judge ruled on Friday that officials acted without “legal basis” when they deported Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man living in Maryland, to El Salvador in March.
Garcia’s removal was carried out under the Alien Enemies Act — a rarely used statute now controversially invoked by Trump officials. Judge Paula Xinis ordered the government to return him to the US by Monday, though the justice department has said it plans to appeal.
Together, these developments paint a chilling picture of an immigration system in disarray — one in which administrative error, rapid policy shifts, and political theatre collide.
For now, DHS insists no Ukrainian under U4U will be deported. But the damage has already been done. The sudden threat — even retracted — has sown fear, confusion, and mistrust.
“There’s already so much anxiety in our community,” said Boelens. “This just shattered what little confidence we had left.”
As the Trump administration presses ahead with its hardline immigration agenda, Ukrainian refugees, once welcomed in a moment of global solidarity, now find themselves once again looking over their shoulders — caught between war and political whim.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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