US grants deportation reprieve to migrants from Ukraine and Sudan

The US government temporarily kept deportation protections in place for people from Ukraine and Sudan. Their Temporary Protected Status was scheduled to expire on Monday. DHS said an announcement would come “at the appropriate time.” Until then, covered Ukrainians and Sudanese retain protection in the United States. This matters because ending protection could expose people to removal while both countries face armed conflict.

The decision affects about 101,000 Ukrainians and 1,800 Sudanese. DHS did not say how long the protections would continue or when it would make a final decision. The department also did not clarify whether work permits would remain valid, although TPS generally allows people to work while protection continues.

The move is another temporary reprieve under an administration that has often sought to end TPS protections. It also resembles the decision to keep nearly 200,000 Salvadorians protected beyond a September deadline. Officials face no stated deadline, so the current arrangement could continue until DHS extends or terminates TPS.

Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, is a US immigration measure for people from countries facing conditions such as armed conflict or severe instability. It gives covered individuals temporary protection from deportation. The program matters because it recognizes that returning people to certain countries may be unsafe while those conditions continue. TPS is temporary, not an automatic permanent immigration status.

For example, Ukraine received TPS in April 2022 after Russia’s full-scale invasion. Sudan has had TPS since 1997 because of armed conflict and political instability. People covered by these designations can generally remain in the United States while their protection is active. TPS generally also allows them to work, although DHS did not clarify whether work permits would continue in this particular case.

Protection depends on government decisions about a country’s conditions and designation. The article says the secretary can continue TPS where conflict persists, while the administration has also terminated TPS for people from 13 countries. If protection ends, recipients may lose its deportation safeguard.

The temporary decision covers about 101,000 Ukrainians and 1,800 Sudanese people in the United States. Together, that is roughly 102,800 people who avoided an immediate loss of protection. Their status matters because TPS generally shields them from deportation and allows them to work while the protection remains active.

The original deadline was Monday. DHS said an announcement “will be made at the appropriate time,” and stated that covered Ukrainians and Sudanese retain protection until then. The department did not identify a new expiration date. It also did not say how long the temporary reprieve would last or whether work permits would continue.

Therefore, no definite duration can be given. The article does not say that DHS granted a fixed extension. Andrew Arthur said the government faces no deadline and that nothing changes until a decision is made. The eventual outcome could be continued TPS or termination, but the timing remains uncertain.

If the government eventually terminates TPS, covered migrants could lose the temporary shield that lets them remain in the United States without immediate deportation risk. The article describes the administration’s broader policy as ending temporary protections and sending people back to their home countries. Termination would therefore create serious uncertainty for people who have built lives in the United States.

The danger is especially clear for Ukrainians. Ukraine received TPS after Russia’s full-scale invasion, and activists and lawmakers argue that conditions remain unsafe because of the ongoing war. Sudan has also remained covered because of armed conflict and political instability. Yuriy Boyechko said Ukrainians cannot safely return home.

The article does not state exactly what would happen to every person after termination. It does show that protections could end, potentially exposing recipients to deportation and loss of work authorization. The current reprieve delays that risk, but does not create permanent residency or guarantee continued protection.

Ukraine and Sudan have been covered by TPS because conditions in both countries make return dangerous or unstable. The article specifically identifies ongoing armed conflict in Ukraine and Sudan, along with Sudan’s political instability. These conditions are the central reason people from both countries have continued receiving temporary protection in the United States.

Ukraine was first designated for TPS in April 2022, two months after Russia’s full-scale invasion. The Biden administration later extended the designation, most recently in January 2025, authorizing 18 additional months through October 2026. Sudan’s TPS program began in 1997. Successive US administrations have extended it because conflict and political instability have continued there.

Andrew Arthur said it is beyond dispute that both countries are experiencing ongoing armed conflict. He said the DHS secretary is within the law’s authority to continue TPS for each country. The present decision keeps protection in place for now, but the government has not explained when it will make a final determination.

The DHS secretary has authority to decide whether TPS should continue for a country. The article links that authority to conditions such as armed conflict and political instability. Andrew Arthur, an immigration expert, said the secretary is “well within his authority” to continue TPS for Ukraine and Sudan because both countries face ongoing armed conflict.

The government can therefore leave protections in place while it considers conditions, as it did for Ukrainians and Sudanese after their scheduled deadline. The administration also kept Salvadorians protected beyond a September expiration date while saying it would decide later. These examples show that the decision can be delayed without immediately ending protection.

At the same time, the Trump administration has terminated TPS for more than 1 million people from 13 countries. The article does not describe every legal step behind those decisions. It does establish that the secretary’s authority includes continuing or ending country-based TPS, with the current government offering no final timetable for Ukraine or Sudan.

Temporary protection under TPS allows eligible people to remain in the United States while their country faces dangerous conditions. It is tied to a government designation and can later be extended or terminated. Permanent residency is different because it would provide a lasting immigration status rather than protection that depends on repeated temporary decisions.

The difference is visible in the current uncertainty. Ukrainians and Sudanese retain protection after Monday’s deadline, but DHS has not said how long it will last. Their status could still end with a later announcement. TPS generally allows work while protection remains active, but the department did not clarify work permits in this case.

Yuriy Boyechko called the announcement a “last-minute patch” and said it did not solve the real issue. He urged the United States to create a normal path to permanent residency for these people. The article does not say that such a path currently exists. The present decision is therefore a delay, not a permanent solution.