Suspension of humanitarian protection extensions forces Ukrainian refugees in the U.S. to leave the country

Many Ukrainian refugees in the United States have found themselves facing a choice: leave the country or stay without work and live off their savings.

This was reported in a segment by the German outlet Deutsche Welle.

After Donald Trump returned to the White House, his administration suspended all applications to extend the temporary humanitarian protection program introduced under Joe Biden. The program allowed Ukrainians to live and work in the U.S. for up to two years with the possibility of extension.

The segment featured Olga, a refugee who came to Pittsburgh, joined the program, and found a job at a hotel. But this year, her program expired, causing her to lose both her job and the associated housing. She is now forced to live with friends, relying on her savings.

Those whose stay in the U.S., like Olga’s, has already expired are required to leave the country.

“When the Trump administration announced the suspension of all applications from people with humanitarian status, it created a huge backlog. And when the suspension was lifted, the system became overloaded. Over these six months, too many documents piled up, and now processing takes a very, very long time,” said immigration lawyer Iryna Mazur.

Ukrainians who entered the U.S. legally and technically still fall under the program’s conditions are now faced with a choice: stay without a means of livelihood or leave voluntarily. Many call this “forced self-deportation.”