When Olena arrived in Chicago in 2022 under the U.S. government’s Uniting for Ukraine program, she thought she had reached safety. She found a job. Her children enrolled in school. She began rebuilding a life shattered by Russia’s invasion of her homeland. But today, despite doing everything asked of her, Olena, who spoke to me with the condition that her real name not be used because of her tenuous legal status, is waiting. Waiting for document approvals. Waiting for clarity on her immigration status. Waiting to know whether she will be forced to return to a country still at war.
Her story reflects the reality facing tens of thousands of Ukrainians nationwide. More than 250,000 Ukrainian refugees entered the U.S. through humanitarian pathways such as Uniting for Ukraine and temporary protected status after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Although protected status has been extended through 2026, many Ukrainians who arrived under Uniting for Ukraine remain uncertain whether they qualify for re-parole, or continued protection once their temporary but renewable status expires.
Even those who apply for TPS or re-parole face extreme delays. Approval timelines often exceed 12 months, during which applicants helplessly watch their original parole or work authorization expire. All they are left with is receipt notice, but with no legal certainty and no timeline. As cases stall at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, families fall into legal gray zones that jeopardize jobs, housing and access to normal life. In some cases, individuals drift out of status altogether, placing them at risk of deportation despite following every instruction.
This instability has real consequences. Earlier this year, a Ukrainian woman in Southern California was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after attending a routine marriage-based green card interview, an appointment meant to formalize her permanent legal status. Instead, she was handcuffed in front of her husband and separated from her family despite having fled an active war and pursuing lawful residency. Her detention sent shock waves through the Ukrainian refugee community, reinforcing a deepening fear: even compliance does not guarantee safety. Protection remains fragile and unpredictable.
Emergency programs like Uniting for Ukraine and temporary protected status were never intended to trap families in prolonged uncertainty. Parents hesitate to enroll children in schools or commit to long-term education paths. Employees fear losing jobs when work permits lapse during pending paperwork. Small delays become life-altering disruptions. Mental health struggles intensify as the trauma of fleeing war collides with constant anxiety over expired work permits, potential deportation and family separation.
Ukrainians are already contributing to American communities. They work in health care, manufacturing, education, hospitality and other essential sectors. They pay taxes, volunteer locally and support aging populations. Their children are thriving in American schools, building bilingual futures rooted in resilience.
To strip them of stability now betrays the trust we extended when inviting them here. America’s identity as a refuge demands more than symbolic welcome; it requires follow-through. Temporary relief without durable protection is not compassion; it is virtue signaling.
Congress and the Department of Homeland Security must act decisively. Eligibility for temporary protected status should be expanded to cover all Ukrainians lawfully present, regardless of arrival dates. Ukrainian parole recipients must be offered multi-year or permanent legal pathways that provide certainty for families, workers and employers alike. Work authorization processing must be expedited to restore certainty to breadwinners.
The administration should also do its part by raising the fiscal year 2026 presidential determination for refugee admissions to at least 50,000 and reinstating resources for newcomers arriving through pathways like Uniting for Ukraine. Taking these steps would reinforce the broader protection framework instead of leaving newly arrived families without the support they need.
This is not about opening new migration channels or weakening border enforcement. It is about honoring commitments to people who came through lawful humanitarian pathways and complied with U.S. immigration requirements. Ukrainians in the U.S. are not asking for special treatment, only the certainty needed to live safely while their homeland remains engulfed in war.
America understands displacement. Our history is shaped by the journeys of people fleeing violence to seek safety. But refuge must mean more than temporary admission; it must mean protection that lasts as long as danger endures. No family welcomed under America’s humanitarian promise should fear detention, separation or deportation for following the rules.
Nastia Garza is the intake program manager at World Relief. Originally from Ukraine, she assists Ukrainian arrivals as they work through the challenges of the U.S. resettlement system.