Latest news with #UnitingforUkraine
DW
2 days ago
- Politics
- DW
Ukraine updates: Trump tells DW Ukrainians may remain in US – DW – 07/30/2025
In comments made exclusively to DW, US President Donald Trump has signaled that Ukrainian refugees will likely be permitted to remain in the United States, despite a crackdown on immigration. DW has President Donald Trumphas signaled that Ukrainian refugees will likely be allowed to remain in the United States until the Russian invasion comes to an end. "I think we will, yes, I will," Trump told DW's Misha Komadovsky when asked whether he would allow Ukrainians who fled the war to remain stateside. "We have a lot of people that came in from Ukraine, and we're working with them," he added. Approximately 240,000 Ukrainian nationals have fled to the United States since the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022, but their residency status has been cast into doubt as the Trump administration has cracked down on irregular migration and asylum seekers. In an executive order issued on January 20, Trump instructed the US Department of Homeland Security to "terminate all categorical parole programs" — which would include the "Uniting for Ukraine" (U4U) initiative introduced by former US President Joe Biden. Reutersnews agency reported in March that a decision on the status of Ukrainians was imminent, with Trump telling reporters in the Oval Office at the time: "We're not looking to hurt anybody, we're certainly not looking to hurt them, and I'm looking at that. There were some people that think it's appropriate, and some people don't, and I'll be making the decision pretty soon." In May, the reported that the Trump administration was considering using $250 million of foreign aid funds to repatriate people from active conflict zones, including about 200,000 Ukrainians. Now, however, following Trump's remarks to DW in Washington, it appears likely that Ukrainian refugees will be permitted to stay in the United States, at least for now. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Hello and welcome to DW's coverage of developments in Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine on Wednesday, July 30. After months of uncertainty surrounding the status of Ukrainian refugees in the United States, US President Donald Trump signaled to DW that they may be able to remain until the war ends. And in Kyiv, urther protests are planned after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy launched a controversial restructuring of the country's anti-corruption agency.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukrainians among foreign nationals in US targeted for transfer to Guantanamo, WP reports
The Trump administration is preparing to transfer thousands of undocumented foreign nationals, including Ukrainian citizens, to the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, the Washington Post reported on June 10, citing undisclosed U.S. official sources. The infamous prison facility was established by the Bush administration in 2002 to hold suspected terrorists amid the War on Terror. Its operations attracted broad criticism for reports of torture, abuse, and for the facility's position outside of normal legal frameworks. The detainees reportedly include individuals from countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Ukraine. The move is part of a broader plan to free up capacity at overcrowded domestic facilities. U.S. officials told the Washington Post that there were no plans to notify the governments of these citizens before their transfer to the facility. Medical screenings for 9,000 individuals are reportedly underway to assess whether they are physically fit for transfer. Internal documents reviewed by the Washington Post suggest the facility is currently underutilized and could accommodate more detainees. The Homeland Security Department and the White House declined to comment for the Washington Post on the reporting, which is based on information from multiple anonymous officials and internal documents. A defense official maintained that current operations at the base remain "unchanged" and refused to speculate on "future missions." Some home countries of the targeted detainees have previously expressed willingness to repatriate their nationals, but have been deemed too slow by U.S. immigration authorities. The White House has not confirmed the number of Ukrainians affected, and Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has yet to comment. The plan to revive Guantanamo as a holding site for mass immigration enforcement is part of President Donald Trump's broader pledge to ramp up deportations and arrests, with a goal of at least 3,000 arrests daily, according to White House officials. Previously, the media reported that the Trump administration planned to revoke the temporary legal status of 240,000 Ukrainian refugees who fled Russia's invasion. According to a March 6 article by Reuters, the administration aims to cancel refugees' immigration status granted under the Biden-era Uniting for Ukraine program, potentially exposing them to deportation. Although the White House denied the claim, internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) documents suggest preparations for fast-tracked removals are underway. Read also: Ukrainian boxer Usyk invites Trump to his home to see Russia's war firsthand, BBC reports We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Technical.ly
19-05-2025
- Business
- Technical.ly
Despite Trump's actions and rhetoric, Ukrainian tech workers are laying stakes in the US
With diplomatic tensions on high and a dedicated humanitarian parole program on pause, Ukrainian technologists and entrepreneurs who fled the war with Russia are navigating tremendous uncertainty. The war and its fallout forced founders and engineers to balance their and their colleagues' safety with building companies. Despite some positive developments, they are nervous and frustrated. As the war grinds on and negotiations stall, many of these tech workers must also plant roots in the US. For that, they get some help from longer-established members of the Ukrainian diaspora. As bombs exploded outside his home in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Alex had to make a colossal decision — whether or not to flee, and if so, where to go. The technologist and startup founder, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of pending immigration status, landed in the US on May 24, 2023, after a 16-country tour with his wife and six-month-old son. A soccer injury to his ACL about 2 months prior to the war exonerated him from the draft that his home country applies to all men between the ages of 25 and 60. But the exemption didn't protect him or his family from the invasion Russia launched in February 2022. He's here thanks to the Uniting for Ukraine program, which brought in about 158,000 individuals from the war-plagued country, per government data. But the Trump administration paused the program, leaving Alex and thousands of others in the lurch. Through Uniting for Ukraine, established during the Biden administration, Ukrainians can work and access public benefits in the US for up to two years with the possibility of extension. His stay is almost up, and he's applied for Temporary Protected Status, but hasn't heard whether or not it's been approved. This ambiguity frustrates Alex. Ukrainians are a positive addition to the US economy, he asserted. Most immigrants like him speak English, are highly skilled and pay taxes, he said. 'I don't understand the logic behind this,' he told 'Why would you not extend this program for us, or just give [us] another status? It doesn't make sense.' I'm pretty confident about it. The new administration doesn't give a shit about Ukraine. Alex (pseudonymn) The tech industry in Ukraine, where IT forms a major part of the economy, claims at least 307,000 specialists, which is a slight increase compared to before the war began. 242,000, or about 80%, live and work in the country. Despite that growth, according to an analysis from the tech research and advocacy organization Lviv IT Cluster, more Ukrainian technologists are moving abroad than in previous years. Alex is one of those many tech workers who've laid stakes in the US since the war began, either through the refugee program or through work visas. Ukrainians have dealt with confusion and frustration over messaging and actions from the Trump administration, including mass deportations of other immigrant communities and an Oval Office meeting where US President Donald Trump antagonized his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Several Ukrainian business leaders and technologists spoke to about navigating this all-too-personal crisis while running companies, working in tech and doing what they can to help their community. Stress piles up because 'we don't know how the Trump administration behaves' Outside of the Uniting for Ukraine program pause, Alex takes issue with several other actions the Trump administration took since January. For example, Homeland Security sent out an email telling some program participants that their status was eliminated ' in error,' terrifying him and fellow refugees in the group chats he's a part of. He knows of Ukrainians who are looking for other countries to move to because of the constant uncertainty. Alex is also upset with the recent minerals deal Ukraine struck in exchange for US military assistance, and wants Ukraine to have access to more American weapons. 'I'm pretty confident about it,' Alex said. 'The new administration doesn't give a shit about Ukraine.' At the same time, he knows that work opportunities in the US are abundant, particularly in tech. The DC region alone boasts more than 270,000 tech jobs, according to Lightcast data in Tech Economy Dashboard. Layla Atya, the CEO and founder of the company Zala Technology in Silver Spring, Maryland, immigrated to the US a decade ago. Since the refugee program's pause, the native of Lviv is struggling to bring Ukrainian workers to the United States. She wants to, but noted she's nervous to hire Ukrainians because of 'regulatory consequences,' she's been told by lawyers, but declined to elaborate. She's had prospective employees reach out to her asking for jobs in an effort for them to stay in the country through a work visa, she explained. '[Workers want] to be able to not just stay in the country because they have nowhere to go — their houses were destroyed,' Atya told 'but also continue with their professional growth.' The workers Atya hired when the initiative originally started under Biden have since left the company to work elsewhere, she said. Nina Sharaievska moved to Florida, near Orlando, one month after the war began — originally flying in to attend a conference for her employer, Softgeni. She eventually relocated to Arlington, Virginia, to lead US operations for the software company, which was founded in Kyiv. Communication between Zelenskyy and Trump has improved since the blowout Oval Office meeting in February, she believes. Aid is still flowing, and that's also a positive sign. While she feels secure because she has a work visa, Sharaievska acknowledged how strenuous relations have been in the past. 'It is [a] quite stressful time,' Sharaievska told 'because we don't know how the Trump administration behaves.' Through this tumult, some naturalized citizens have taken matters into their own hands by making the case for aid to Ukraine. Karina Mandell chairs the Baltimore-Odesa Sister City Committee, a cultural exchange organization for the two port cities, and has been visiting Capitol Hill to fight for more resources to where she was born. When she talks to lawmakers, Mandell, a business development professional who moved to Baltimore County from her home country when she was 7, frames allocating aid and allowing refugees to stay in the US as a national security prerogative. 'As a refugee, you would think that you would come here and finally feel like you could take a sigh and a breath of relief,' Mandell told 'But sadly, the Ukrainian community hasn't been able to do that.' Coding while bombs detonate Zala Technology's Atya still has offices and several engineers in Lviv, although some workers have been drafted. When the war began, she suddenly had to run her business and become an expert in humanitarian aid, she said — getting an MBA didn't prepare her for this. She's helped people move within the country and get access to the internet, for example. 'Suddenly we had to learn how to not just run a business, preserve revenue and clients, but also save our people,' Atya said. Engineers take calls from bathtubs during air raids, per Atya. While she's been told that the work is a helpful distraction, the war has resulted in the loss of some clients, which Atya understands. Other tech workers in Ukraine are finding ways out, often to Poland. Andrew, a startup founder who immigrated to the US from Lviv about 20 years ago, employs contract workers in Ukraine. He spoke on the condition of anonymity because of concerns about retaliation. One of Andrew's employees in Lviv received a notice he'd be drafted into the military. The worker said he needed a week off, and Andrew was immediately concerned, he said. With no word for four days, Andrew called his sister, who still lives in Ukraine, but the engineer was nowhere to be found. A week later, the worker signed onto Slack and said he was in Poland. Andrew has no idea how he crossed the border. 'I hear stories that people cross through rivers, the forest,' Andrew said. 'Because they, many of them, are said to die in this war.' Establishing roots in the US Several technologists and business leaders told they've established support networks and routines in the US. Softgeni's Sharaievska has a daughter in eighth grade who's made friends and loves their neighborhood in Arlington. Her hobbies are singing and fencing, and she helps her mom with the pronunciation of English words. One founder from Kyiv aims to help people with that, as well as prepare for interviews for the kinds of jobs that could help fellow Ukrainians stay in the US. Philadelphia resident Oleh Savchuk founded a tool for people to do mock interviews and get feedback. Before the war began, Savchuk had already planned to immigrate to the US through a work visa sponsored by his employer, EPAM Systems. The invasion delayed that move to August 2023, when he came over with his wife. In creating Prepin, Savchuk was partially inspired by his own struggles interviewing for his L-1 visa, which is how he's staying in the US. 'The United States is [a] completely different market, with completely different cultural fits, with [a] completely different community,' Savchuk told 'Definitely, you need to practice more.'
Newsweek
08-05-2025
- Newsweek
ICE Threatened To Deport Texas Man To War Torn Country
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A Ukrainian man legally residing in Texas has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for over three months—despite holding lawful status and having no criminal convictions. Pavlo Mykolayovych Zinkevych, 37, was arrested by Frisco Police around 2 a.m. on January 26, 2025, near the intersection of Preston Road and Eldorado Parkway—just three minutes from his home. According to his fiancée, Liubov Abdrazakova, Zinkevych had been out with friends and was driving home when police stopped him for a minor traffic violation and suspected DWI. During a field sobriety test, officers asked him to balance on one leg—a task he failed due to a titanium plate in his leg from a 2019 injury. A breathalyzer test was later administered at the station. The next morning, a judge set bond at $500 for a misdemeanor, which was promptly paid. But Zinkevych never came back home. Pavlo Zinkevych (R) alongside his fiancée Liubov Abdrazakova (L). Pavlo Zinkevych (R) alongside his fiancée Liubov Abdrazakova (L). Supplied Instead, ICE placed a hold on him. After a brief stop at the Dallas Field Office, he was transferred to the Bluebonnet Detention Facility in Anson, Texas, where he has remained since January 28, 2025. Zinkevych lawfully entered the United States in 2022 under the Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) program and currently holds a valid I-94, a Social Security number, and has a pending application for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). However, his parole has since been revoked, his fiancée said. Despite his legal status, his fiancée says ICE agents threatened to deport him to war-torn Ukraine, where his hometown lies just miles from the Russian border. "Pavlo was woken up by ICE agents asking, 'Do you want to stay and fight your case or do you want to be deported to Ukraine?'" Abdrazakova told Newsweek in an exclusive statement. "He believes ICE agents are financially incentivized to pursue deportations. They're trying to mentally break a person to get them to sign a deportation order," she claimed. Pavlo Zinkevych (R) alongside his fiancée Liubov Abdrazakova (L). Pavlo Zinkevych (R) alongside his fiancée Liubov Abdrazakova (L). Supplied Abdrazakova says his physical and mental health are deteriorating rapidly. Inside Bluebonnet, he suffers from severe leg pain due to the titanium plate and dental issues from decaying teeth. According to his fiancée, detention staff have refused to treat him despite his private dental insurance. She also alleges he's been subjected to inhumane treatment, including being referred to by a bed number instead of his name, and has endured racist comments from staff. The financial toll has also been significant. "His prolonged detention has caused severe financial hardship for both of us," Abdrazakova said. "He has numerous unpaid bills. His car is at risk of repossession, and we had to break our apartment lease. His credit score—something he worked hard to build—is now ruined." "I am broken, empty, devastated, and angry," she continued. "We had been house hunting before his arrest. We planned to get married in May and start a family. This detention has destroyed everything he worked so hard for." Newsweek has contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for comment via email but has not yet received a response. The Bluebonnet Detention Facility previously made national headlines when Reuters published drone footage showing detainees in jumpsuits forming an SOS signal, waving to the camera, with one flashing a peace sign. Since his detention, Zinkevych—who works as a fiber network contractor—has attended three immigration court hearings. At his first hearing—a bond hearing on February 17, 2025—Immigration Judge Michael Pleters stated that he did not have jurisdiction to issue a bond, asserting that responsibility lies with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). "They [DHS] make mistakes all the time by saying it is the immigration judge's decision," Judge Pleters remarked during the hearing. The second hearing, held on March 20, 2025, saw Zinkevych's attorney, Joseph Reina, argue that his client was being unlawfully detained and should be released. Immigration Judge Jessica Miles requested a follow-up hearing and asked Reina to submit a legal brief supporting that claim. During the third hearing on April 3, 2025, after reviewing the brief, Judge Miles stated she believes that Zinkevych should not be detained. However, she emphasized that she lacked jurisdiction to order his release. Despite Zinkevych having a pending application for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and having established a prima facie case—meaning he is not currently deportable—DHS maintains that he is subject to removal. DHS also retains sole authority over his bond and release, yet has remained unresponsive to multiple legal requests, according to his attorney. Judge Miles asked DHS council to reach out to USCIS and expedite TPS but no actions were taken by DHS Zinkevych's next immigration hearing is scheduled for May 8, 2025.
Forbes
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
280,000 Ukrainian Refugees To Be Deported By Trump Soon
A woman with two children and carrying bags walk on a street to leave Ukraine after crossing the ... More border on February 25, 2022, following Russia's invasion of the Ukraine. (Photo by PETER LAZAR / AFP) (Photo by PETER LAZAR/AFP via Getty Images) The Trump campaign's reported consideration of deporting nearly 280,000 Ukrainian refugees who were legally admitted to the United States under the Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) program is not just a humanitarian concern—it's a potentially significant geopolitical error. These refugees, most of whom are women, children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities, fled an active war zone through a lawful program initiated by the U.S. government. Deporting them now would endanger lives, signal a wavering U.S. resolve to adversaries like Russia and China, and undermine America's credibility as a defender of democratic values and global stability. Unfortunately, this threat is not confined to Ukrainians. Haitians, Cubans, Venezuelans, Nicaraguans, and Afghans admitted through Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and humanitarian parole programs now find themselves in a similar state of limbo. The message to them all is chilling: even legal, orderly entry under humanitarian programs supported by presidential authority and congressional funding may no longer provide protection. The U4U initiative to assist Ukrainian refugees was not merely an act of charity; it was a strategic response by the United States to Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Deporting these refugees now would not only betray our legal and moral obligations but also convey a dangerous message to the world—that America no longer upholds the rule of law, even when it concerns its own. History offers sobering lessons when democracies appease aggression. In 1938, British and French leaders notably surrendered the Sudetenland to Hitler at Munich, hoping that territorial concessions would prevent war. The key lesson of Munich is that appeasing aggressive authoritarian regimes in the hope of preserving peace emboldens them to pursue even greater acts of expansion and violence. In 1938, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and other Western leaders, aiming to avoid war, permitted Adolf Hitler to annex the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia through the Munich Agreement—without Czech consent. This short-term concession failed to prevent conflict; rather, it reinforced Hitler's belief that the Allies lacked the resolve to resist him, ultimately leading to the outbreak of World War II in 1939. The Munich lesson underscores the peril of sacrificing principles and allies for temporary peace, emphasizing the strategic cost of underestimating totalitarian ambition. Munich initiated Hitler's campaign of conquest that culminated in the deaths of more than 50 million people. That failure directly resulted in the creation of the postwar global order, the founding of NATO, and the United Nations—all institutions aimed at ensuring that tyrants could not redraw borders through force. Today, that same principle is under threat in Ukraine, and the U.S. risks repeating past mistakes. President Trump's frequent remarks about 'peace plans' involving the partitioning of Ukraine, along with efforts to terminate aid and deport war refugees, strongly resemble the logic of appeasement seen in Munich. Such proposals appeal to the likes of Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong Un, and the Iranian clerics. If the U.S. deports those fleeing tyranny while simultaneously engaging with the tyrants, it will undermine not just American moral authority but also its credibility as a deterrent. In 1994, Ukraine surrendered the world's third-largest nuclear arsenal to Russia in exchange for security assurances from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia under the Budapest Memorandum. That pledge—widely regarded as a foundational element of post-Cold War security—was based on a simple idea: if Ukraine relinquished its nuclear weapons, the West would defend its territorial integrity. What signal is the U.S. sending to the world if, three decades later, it not only fails to stop Ukraine's dismemberment by Russia but also deports those fleeing its consequences? The answer is that American assurances are worthless. When autocrats violate sovereignty, America's response is to aid the autocrats by deporting their victims rather than sanctioning the aggressors overseas. The implications extend far beyond Ukraine. If America is perceived as retreating from its commitments—first regarding aid, then concerning protection—it undermines America's standing in every strategic theater: from Taiwan to the Baltics, from the South China Sea to the Persian Gulf. In 2022, over 12 million Ukrainians were displaced due to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with 6 million seeking refuge abroad—mainly in Europe. The U.S., despite being the wealthiest nation on earth, admitted fewer than 300,000, while Canada, with one-tenth of the U.S. population, accepted more. If Russia consolidates its hold on Ukraine today, projections suggest that up to 20 million additional refugees could be forced to flee. This would not only overwhelm neighboring European states, but also potentially destabilize the European Union itself, empower far-right populism, and fracture NATO. The resulting second-order refugee crisis—in a displaced Europe—could send waves of further refugees along with serious economic and political instability westward, ultimately reaching America's doorstep. This is not an abstract risk. In 2015, the Syrian refugee crisis contributed to the destabilization of European politics, fueling Brexit and a rise in illiberal governance. If the U.S. now avoids responsibility in the Ukrainian crisis, it will again force Europe to bear the burden—and risk the same chaotic consequences, this time with even greater strategic stakes. According to the Kiel Institute of the World Economy, the U.S. has committed $101 billion in total aid to Ukraine. The EU, by comparison, has committed $195 billion. These are significant sums, but they are modest next to the trillions in costs of a prolonged war in Europe, a fractured NATO, and a broken refugee system. Deporting refugees—especially those who contribute economically, socially, and culturally to the U.S.—does not reduce costs. Instead, it creates new ones: legal battles, community dislocations, diplomatic fallout, and economic disruption. Most Ukrainian parolees are employed, often in high-demand sectors. Their removal would harm local economies and cause ripple effects that extend far beyond their host communities. Meanwhile, if Russia succeeds in its invasion, it will gain not only territory but also Ukraine's industrial base, military production capacity, and access to the Black Sea. This would pose a direct threat to NATO allies in Poland, Romania, and the Baltics, triggering new U.S. military commitments under Article 5. Against this backdrop, starting a Ukrainian deportation policy now would not only be inhumane but also shortsighted and self-defeating. The United States has long been characterized by its willingness to provide refuge to those escaping tyranny. This principle is not only morally admirable—it is also strategically sound. Immigration has enriched American life, strengthened its labor force, and bolstered its alliances. Humanitarian parole and refugee programs have been utilized for decades to protect those at risk and advance U.S. interests abroad, from Cold War defectors to post-9/11 interpreters and allies. Ukrainian parolees are part of that legacy. They arrived legally, under strict vetting, with sponsors and community networks in place. To uproot them now is to violate not just individual rights but collective trust—in the rule of law, in humanitarian principles, and in the promises of democratic government. We must not permit immigration policy to become a tool for political posturing, particularly when it risks dismantling decades of strategic investment and moral leadership. Deporting Ukrainian refugees will not 'fix' a broken system; instead, it will betray the very values that have defined America at its best.
