US grants last-minute deportation reprieve to more than 100,000 Ukrainian and Sudanese migrants

More than 100,000 Ukrainians and Sudanese living in the United States will not face immediate deportation after the Department of Homeland Security announced that their Temporary Protected Status remains in place — even though that protection was scheduled to expire on Monday. In a brief written statement, DHS said the roughly 101,000 Ukrainians and 1,800 Sudanese covered by the programme "retain protections", and that an announcement on their long-term status "will be made at the appropriate time".

The department offered no timetable for deciding whether the status will be extended, terminated or changed — leaving more than 100,000 families in limbo just weeks before the midterm elections.

Relief, with strings attached

Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, shields qualifying migrants from deportation and generally allows them to work legally while their home country is considered unsafe because of war, natural disaster or other extraordinary conditions. The programme is a fixture of US immigration policy: Ukraine was designated in April 2022, weeks after Russia's full-scale invasion, while Sudan has held the protection intermittently since 1997 amid persistent political violence.

DHS did not say whether work permits remain valid during the reprieve, nor did it explain how long the breathing room would last. Humanitarian groups welcomed the decision but warned it was a patch, not a plan.

"We're grateful for an extension, however temporary, for TPS holders from Ukraine and Sudan," said Myal Greene, president and CEO of World Relief, an organisation that has provided humanitarian assistance in both countries. "We encourage the administration and Congress to consider longer term relief for women, men and children trying to carve out stability while their countries of origin remain in upheaval."

Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Global Refuge, noted that neither country is remotely safe: Russia's war on Ukraine is approaching its fifth year, with civilians bracing for another winter under drone and missile strikes, while Sudan remains locked in a brutal civil war marked by famine, widespread human rights abuses and the hallmarks of genocide. "It is not safe for these families to go home," she said, according to reporting by the Associated Press.

A pattern of ambiguity

The move mirrors the administration's approach to another TPS population: in September, the government allowed Salvadorans covered by the programme to retain their protections without resolving their long-term status either, as CGTN reported. At the same time, the administration has moved to terminate the status for nationals of Haiti, Venezuela, Somalia, Yemen, Syria and other countries — part of a broader effort to shrink the programme that has drawn challenges in court.

US immigration enforcement has already drawn scrutiny this year: in earlier cases, deported migrants were sent to third countries such as Burundi and Jamaica, programmes that triggered legal and diplomatic disputes. The contrast between termination for some nationalities and a quiet reprieve for others is likely to sharpen political debate over how the programme is being used.

Federal rules say TPS is automatically extended for six months if the secretary of homeland security does not make a determination at least 60 days before the designation expires. The DHS statement this week did not clarify whether the department considers that automatic extension to apply — another question left hanging for more than 100,000 people trying to plan their lives around it.

Critics, including within the Trump administration, have long argued that successive governments have stretched TPS far beyond its intended purpose, extending protections for years regardless of conditions in the home countries. Supporters counter that the conditions themselves — a near-five-year war in Ukraine, and one of the world's worst humanitarian crises in Sudan — clearly meet the legal standard for protection.

What to watch next

The DHS statement promised a decision "at the appropriate time" but named no date. Courts are still adjudicating challenges to several other TPS terminations, and advocacy groups are pressing Congress for durable legislation that would give long-term TPS holders a path to permanent status rather than a series of last-minute reprieves. With the midterms approaching, the question of whether the reprieve becomes an extension — or a countdown to deportation — will stay politically charged.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many people are affected by the reprieve?

About 101,000 Ukrainians and 1,800 Sudanese living in the United States under Temporary Protected Status, according to figures reported by The Guardian. Their protection was due to expire on Monday.

Does the reprieve include work permits?

DHS has not answered that question directly. TPS usually carries work authorisation as a benefit, and the department said covered Ukrainians and Sudanese "retain protections" — but it did not confirm whether employment permits remain valid during the interim period.

Why does the US grant Temporary Protected Status to Ukrainians and Sudanese?

TPS is for people whose home countries are considered unsafe because of war, disaster or extraordinary conditions. Ukraine was designated in April 2022 following Russia's full-scale invasion; Sudan has held the designation intermittently since 1997. Aid groups say Russia's war, now approaching its fifth year, and Sudan's brutal civil war marked by famine and widespread rights abuses mean it is not safe for these families to return.

Has the administration done this before?

Yes. In September the administration allowed Salvadorans covered by TPS to retain their protections without resolving their long-term status — the same pattern of temporary reprieve rather than a final decision. The government has separately moved to terminate TPS for nationals of Haiti, Venezuela, Somalia, Yemen, Syria and other countries, and has carried out third-country removals such as the Burundi and Jamaica deportation flights.

What happens next?

DHS said an announcement "will be made at the appropriate time" but gave no date. Federal rules provide an automatic six-month extension if no determination is made 60 days before expiry, but the department has not clarified whether that applies. A formal decision to extend, terminate or change the status could still come at any point.