The U.S. Department of Homeland Security extended temporary immigration protections for migrants from Ukraine and Sudan on Monday, allowing more than 100,000 people to remain in the country without immediate risk of deportation.
Temporary Protected Status for approximately 101,000 Ukrainians and 1,800 Sudanese was set to expire Oct. 19, but DHS said in a written statement that protections would remain in effect until a final announcement is made “at the appropriate time” . The department did not specify how long the protections would last or when a decision would be issued, nor did it confirm whether work permits would remain valid, though TPS generally allows recipients to work while protections are active.
The move follows a pattern under the Trump administration, which has sought to end TPS for over 1 million people from 13 countries but recently allowed protections to continue for nearly 200,000 Salvadorans in September under similar terms . Activists and bipartisan lawmakers had warned that conditions in Ukraine remain unsafe due to the ongoing war with Russia, with Ukraine first designated for TPS in April 2022 after Russia’s full-scale invasion. The Biden administration had previously extended the designation, most recently in January 2025, authorizing protections through October 2026 .
Yuriy Boyechko, CEO of the nonprofit Hope For Ukraine, criticized the decision as a “last-minute patch,” calling it a “bandage that has been placed on a wound that does not solve the real issue” and urging the U.S. to create a pathway to permanent residency for TPS holders . Andrew Arthur, an immigration expert at the Center for Immigration Studies, said the administration faces no deadline to decide and that protections would likely continue until a termination is issued, noting that ongoing armed conflicts in both Ukraine and Sudan justify the extensions under current authority .
The decision comes as the Trump administration has terminated TPS for nationals of other countries, including Venezuela, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Afghanistan and Syria, while maintaining protections for some groups in recent months . According to Reuters, around 240,000 Ukrainians who fled the war have registered for TPS in the U.S., while approximately 6,800 Sudanese nationals hold the status amid ongoing conflict in their home country .
