DHS Preserves Deportation Protections for Ukrainians and Sudanese

More than 102,000 Ukrainian and Sudanese nationals in the United States will retain temporary protection from deportation after the Department of Homeland Security declined to announce a final decision before their protections were scheduled to expire on October 19, 2026. The move allows affected people to remain in the country for now, but officials have not specified how long the arrangement will last.

According to DHS statements reported by PBS NewsHour, The Washington Post, The Guardian and CBS News, approximately 101,000 Ukrainians and 1,800 Sudanese were covered by the measures facing expiration. The department said a final announcement would come at an appropriate time, without providing a timetable.

The department did not clarify whether existing work permits would remain valid. Temporary Protected Status generally permits eligible recipients to live and work in the United States while their protections remain effective.

The decision follows a broader immigration crackdown under President Donald Trump, whose administration has terminated TPS protections for more than 1 million people from over a dozen countries, including Venezuela, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Afghanistan and Syria, according to the reports.

Yuriy Boyechko, CEO of Hope For Ukraine, a nonprofit providing humanitarian assistance in Ukraine and helping newcomers resettle in the United States, criticized the temporary nature of the announcement.

Boyechko described the government's action as "last-minute patches."

He argued that a temporary reprieve does not resolve the underlying uncertainty facing displaced Ukrainians and called for a more durable immigration solution.

"It's time for US to come up with some normal path to permanent residency for all these people," Boyechko said.

He emphasized that Ukrainians cannot safely return home amid the ongoing war. His organization provides humanitarian aid in Ukraine and assists people rebuilding their lives in the United States.

Andrew Arthur, a national-security and immigration expert at the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington think tank that favors lower immigration, said the government could postpone a final determination without facing an immediate deadline.

Arthur characterized the current arrangement as temporary rather than a guarantee of long-term protection.

"It's simply going to be an extension until it is a termination," Arthur said.

He also acknowledged that both countries continue to experience armed conflict, circumstances that can support continued TPS designations under federal law.

"It's beyond cavil that both Sudan and Ukraine are experiencing ongoing armed conflict, and therefore the secretary is well within his authority to continue TPS for each of them," Arthur said.

Myal Greene, president and CEO of World Relief, an organization that has provided humanitarian assistance in both countries, welcomed the government's decision while urging longer-term action.

Greene said the temporary protection gives affected families additional time, but uncertainty remains over their future in the United States.

"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," Greene said.

Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Global Refuge, said conditions in both countries remain dangerous. She cited Russia's continuing war against Ukraine and the conflict in Sudan, which has involved widespread human rights abuses, famine and reports of atrocities.

Vignarajah described the risks facing displaced families in both countries in her assessment of the need for continued protection.

"It is not safe for these families to go home," Vignarajah said.

The administration also maintained protections for nearly 200,000 Salvadorans whose TPS was scheduled to expire on September 9, 2026. In that case, DHS likewise deferred a final decision while allowing affected people to continue living and working in the country.

Congress created Temporary Protected Status in 1990 to prevent deportations to countries experiencing armed conflict, environmental disasters or other extraordinary conditions that make returning unsafe. The program provides temporary relief but does not itself offer a pathway to permanent residency.

Ukraine received its initial TPS designation in April 2022, following Russia's full-scale invasion in February of that year. The Biden administration extended the designation in January 2025, authorizing another 18 months of protection through October 2026.

Sudan's TPS program began in 1997 and has been extended by successive administrations because of continuing armed conflict and political instability. The latest decisions leave both groups protected while the government considers their longer-term status.

The announcement came approximately two weeks before the November 3, 2026, midterm elections, when the Trump administration's immigration policies were expected to face scrutiny from voters.