Ukraine and Sudan immigrants retain deportation protections as DHS delays final calls
Protections continue for now
DHS informed CBS News on Sunday that Ukrainian and Sudanese TPS enrollees can remain in the country and work while their protections continue. The programs had been approaching expiration.
The department said final decisions about these humanitarian programs would come later, at an appropriate time. That leaves the current protections in place without resolving their longer-term status.
A contrast with broader policy
The continued coverage for Ukrainians and Sudanese differs from the Trump administration’s wider approach to Temporary Protected Status. During the past year and a half, the administration has withdrawn protections from more than one million immigrants representing over a dozen countries.
Those whose protections were revoked include people from Afghanistan, Haiti and Venezuela. Ukrainian and Sudanese nationals are among only a few groups whose TPS programs have remained active nearly two years into President Trump’s second term.
Ukraine and El Salvador cases
The Biden administration introduced TPS for Ukrainians in spring 2022, following Russia’s full-scale invasion. More than 100,000 Ukrainians were enrolled as of March 2025, including people admitted through a sponsorship program established under Biden.
El Salvadorans also retain TPS while awaiting a final DHS announcement. Their program was due to end last month, but the department continued the protections in the meantime.
Key points
- Ukrainian and Sudanese TPS enrollees can live and work in the United States for now.
- DHS has postponed final decisions on both programs.
- The administration has revoked TPS protections for over one million people from more than a dozen countries.
- More than 100,000 Ukrainians held TPS as of March 2025.