Several Ukrainians who traveled to the United States on humanitarian aid amid a full-scale Russian invasion received emails demanding they leave the country. However, it later emerged that the emails were sent to them in error.
Reuters writes about this.
The letter told the Ukrainians that their status had been revoked and they had seven days to leave the United States or “the federal government will find you”. It is unknown how many people received such a letter.
“If you do not leave the United States immediately, you may be detained, which may result in your forced removal. Once again: DHS
A spokesperson for the US Department of Homeland Security later said that the letters were sent in error, meaning that the humanitarian program for Ukrainians, established after Russiaʼs invasion in 2022, was not actually terminated.
The next day, the Department of Homeland Security sent a new letter, saying that the previous letter was a mistake, "the terms of your humanitarian permit remain unchanged".
One Ukrainian woman who received the letter told reporters that she “couldn’t breathe properly and was crying uncontrollably” when she read it. She said she had extended her immigration status for two years in August last year and had been trying to understand why she was being deported, but to no avail.
- In early March 2025, Reuters, citing sources, wrote that the White House plans to revoke the temporary legal status of nearly 240 000 Ukrainians — Ukrainian refugees could be deported more quickly. However, the White House called the publication “fake”.
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