The US Government under Donald Trump is preparing to revoke temporary legal status for approximately 240,000 Ukrainian refugees who fled Russia’s invasion.

This places them at risk of fast-track deportation as the war in Ukraine enters its fourth year and stuttering peace talks, brokered by the US, indicate an uncertain future.

Expected as early as April, the deportation move comes as part of a broader effort by the administration to dismantle Biden-era humanitarian protection programs, which have granted legal entry to more than 1.8 million migrants

President Trump signed an executive order calling for the Department of Homeland Security to “terminate all categorical parole programs” on his first day back in office.

This effectively meant the removal of legal protection for Ukrainian asylum seekers even before the public falling out between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The administration also plans to revoke protection for 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans, according to media reports.

A While White House spokesperson denied that a final decision on the Ukrainians had been made, an internal ICE email seen by the Reuters newsagency suggests that people stripped of protection could face expedited removal, with no time limit on their deportation proceedings.

Ukraine has said recently that it is open to a 30-day ceasefire in the war and, as a result, the US is resuming weapons shipments and intelligence sharing.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised steps taken by Ukraine towards ending the war with Russia, saying it is now up to Moscow to also take a step in that direction.

As Ukraine’s war enters its fourth year, 6.8 million Ukrainians remain refugees. A survey found fewer than half plan to return when the war ends.

Meanwhile, a recent report has revealed the scale of the humanitarian crisis the conflict has wrought.

The report from the UN’s migration agency IOM says that more than 14.6 million people across Ukraine are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

This includes 3.5 million people displaced within the country, many of whom are women, children, elderly and persons with disabilities.

IOM Director Amy Pope said the Russian invasion had left a “a trail of grief and devastation in its wake”.

The IOM report has also revealed the impact of nearly three years of war on the employment, mobility, and labour market dynamics in the country.

According to the report, people who had been recently displaced within Ukraine were more likely to be unemployed (24 per cent), compared to those who had been displaced for one year or more (13 per cent).

“This disparity highlights the challenges of economic integration for newly displaced individuals, who often lack the networks, resources, and stability needed to secure employment in unfamiliar or disrupted environments,” the report said.