MIAMI — More than 100,000 people from Ukraine and Sudan can stay in the United States without immediate risk of deportation, the Department of Homeland Security said, a temporary reprieve after their right to stay in the country was set to expire on Monday, the AP and The Guardian reported.
Temporary Protected Status was set to end Oct. 19 for about 101,000 Ukrainians and 1,800 Sudanese. DHS said an announcement “will be made at the appropriate time” and that until then, those covered “retain protection.” The department did not say how long they could stay or whether they can keep their work permits, though TPS generally allows people to work while protections remain in effect.
Federal rules say TPS is automatically extended for six months if the homeland security secretary does not make a determination at least 60 days before a designation expires, the AP reported.
Yuriy Boyechko, CEO of the nonprofit Hope For Ukraine, called the announcement “last-minute patches” and a “bandage that has been placed on a wound that does not solve the real issue.” Andrew Arthur of the Center for Immigration Studies, which favors lower immigration, said: “It’s simply going to be an extension until it is a termination,” adding that “it’s beyond cavil that both Sudan and Ukraine are experiencing ongoing armed conflict,” The Guardian reported.
The Trump administration has already terminated TPS for more than 1 million people from 13 countries, including Venezuela, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Afghanistan and Syria. But about a month ago it kept protections in place for nearly 200,000 Salvadorans whose status was set to expire on Sept. 9, also saying a decision would come at the appropriate time.
Ukraine was first designated for TPS in April 2022, two months after Russia’s full-scale invasion; Sudan’s designation dates to 1997. The decision comes two weeks before the midterm elections.
Sources: AP, The Guardian, PBS NewsHour
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