Tens of Thousands of Ukrainians Can Stay In the U.S. Without Fear of Deportation

The Biden administration will grant temporary protection from deportation to tens of thousands of Ukrainians who are already living in the U.S.

The Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday that it has designated Ukraine for Temporary Protected Status, or TPS. That will allow an estimated 30,000 Ukrainians who are temporarily living or studying in the U.S. to stay and work legally for 18 months.

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The White House had been under growing pressure from immigrant advocates and lawmakers not to deport Ukranians back to a war-torn country. Earlier this week, dozens of senators signed a letter urging the Biden administration to designate Ukraine for TPS — and asking the administration not to force Ukranians to “return to a war zone.”

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TPS will only be granted to Ukrainians who were already present in the U.S. on March 1, according to DHS. That means it will not apply to more than a million Ukrainians who’ve left to seek refugee in neighboring European countries since the Russian invasion began.

TPS is intended to protect citizens from countries where armed conflict or natural disasters make it unsafe. It does not provide a pathway to permanent residency.

But critics say the program has allowed hundreds of thousands of people to stay in the U.S. indefinitely while TPS is extended — and warned that this time would be no different.

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