Trump administration apologizes for telling Ukrainian refugees to leave US

Donald Trump’s presidential administration has acknowledged and apologized after it says it accidentally informed some Ukrainian refugees fleeing their country’s invasion by Russia that they needed to leave the US because their legal status was being revoked.

Some 240,000 Ukrainians have been settled in the US as part of the Uniting for Ukraine – or U4U – program launched during Joe Biden’s presidency. But according to CBS News, some resettled Ukrainians received emails this week telling them that the US Department of Homeland Security would be terminating their legal protections.

More than 20,000 Ukrainians who flew to Mexico at the start of the war were also allowed into the US, which allows DHS officials to offer temporary work permits and deportation protections to migrants on humanitarian grounds.

“DHS is now exercising its discretion to terminate your parole,” read the notice dated 3 April, referring to the temporary legal status (TPS) granted to Ukrainians after Russia invaded its neigbouring state. “Unless it expires sooner, your parole will terminate 7 days from the date of this notice.”

If recipients failed to leave the US, the message warned, they would “be subject to potential law enforcement actions that will result in your removal from the United States” and encouraged the recipients to sign up for self-deportation.

“Do not attempt to remain in the United States – the federal government will find you,” the notice warned. “Please depart the United States immediately.”

But the DHS said in a statement to the outlet on Friday that the notice had been sent in error to some Ukrainians under the U4U program. “The U4U parole program has not been terminated,” the DHS statement read. And the missive had been corrected with a follow-up message that said: “No action will be taken with respect to your parole.”

Ukraine nationals have not been caught up in the cancellation of Biden administration immigration programs that include Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, and ordered them to self-deport by 24 April. Nonetheless, the rescinded notice caused panic after with Ukrainians in the US who have been widely fearing that they could face the same cancellations affecting those of other nationalities.

On Friday, a federal judge gave the Trump administration until the end of Monday to return a Maryland man who was inadvertently deported under a controversial use of the Alien Enemies act to El Salvador in March.

Judge Paula Xinis ruled that federal officials had acted without “legal basis” when they arrested Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national living in Maryland legally, and deported him without due process.

Administration officials have said there was little they can do to get Garcia returned, despite acknowledging that his deportation last month had been a mistake. The justice department said that it intended to appeal Xinis’ decision.