The Department of Homeland Security will allow Ukrainians who are in the United States to stay in the country as a form of humanitarian relief.
The relief – known as temporary protected status – applies to people who would face extreme hardship if forced to return home devastated by armed conflict or natural disasters, so protections extend to people already in the United States. is limited. The DHS Secretary has the discretion to nominate a country for the TPS.
DHS Secretary Alejandro Meyerkas said in a statement announcing the move: "Russia's pre-planned and unprovoked attack on Ukraine has resulted in war, rampant violence and Ukrainians forced to seek refuge in other countries." "In these extraordinary times, we will continue to provide our support and protection to Ukrainian citizens in the United States."
CNN previously reported on the expected announcement.
According to a DHS spokesperson, around 75,100 people are estimated to be eligible to apply for TPS under Ukraine's designation, more than double the previous estimates. To be eligible, individuals must have lived in the US continuously since March 1, and the TPS designation will be in force for 18 months.
The Migration Policy Institute, a non-partisan think tank, estimated that some 30,000 Ukrainians on visa could benefit from this protected status. Visas are issued on a temporary basis, and extending TPS to Ukrainians on visas will save them from deportation when the visa expires.
The Biden administration has been under pressure from Democratic and Republican lawmakers, along with immigration advocates, to provide security in the US to Ukrainians who cannot return to war-torn Ukraine.
In a letter to President Joe Biden this week, a bipartisan group of senators urged the administration to extend the relief, writing: "Forcing Ukrainian citizens to return to Ukraine in the midst of the war is based on America's values and our national security." would be inconsistent with the interests."
Ukraine joins the list of 12 countries such as South Sudan and Venezuela that have also been nominated for TPS.
Earlier on Thursday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced that it had halted deportation flights to Ukraine, citing the "ongoing humanitarian crisis".
"Amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has suspended repatriation flights to Ukraine. ICE will continue to monitor the current situation and make operational changes as necessary," an agency spokesman said.
ICE often halts enforcement activity in the event of a conflict or natural disaster.