The Trump administration has been accused of creating a climate of fear and confusion among Ukrainian refugees after the US immigration agency, ICE, posted then swiftly deleted a social media update that claimed to show the first deportations of Ukrainians.
The incident has intensified concerns over the future of tens of thousands of people who sought refuge in the US from Russia’s full-scale invasion of their country.
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A deleted post and conflicting reports
On Aug. 19 the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) published photos on its social media account on X, showing individuals at what it identified as the Ukrainian border.
The accompanying text read: “Here are photos of the first moments of Ukrainian foreigners returning home after their expulsion from the United States.” No other details were provided by the agency, which later removed the post entirely.
The move sent shockwaves through the Ukrainian diaspora in the US, coming just after a Wall Street Journal report that the Trump administration intends to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ukrainians who arrived under the “Uniting for Ukraine” (U4U) program.
That program was established by the Biden administration in 2022 to provide a pathway for Ukrainians fleeing the war.
The conflicting information continued with statements from officials in both Washington and Kyiv.
Just days after the initial report, on July 29, President Trump appeared to soften his stance, telling reporters that Ukrainians might be allowed to stay in the US until the end of the war.
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Kyiv Post has reached out to ICE for comment but has not yet received a response, further compounding the information vacuum.
Refugees in a “permanent state of confusion”
The erratic policy signals have left the Ukrainian refugee community in what Jay Tkachuk, chairman of the Ukrainian American House, called a “permanent state of confusion and dreadful anticipation.”
Tkachuk, in an interview with the Kyiv Post on Friday, described the Trump administration’s “extreme amplitudes” – a constant cycle of “fluctuations, announcements, retractions, rumors,” and a “decreasing governmental processing bandwidth” that is both “utterly exhausting, physically and emotionally.”
Tkachuk explained that the constant fluctuations – including announcements, retractions, and rumors from the administration – force refugees to focus on “day-to-day survival” rather than long-term stability.
“It is utterly exhausting, physically and emotionally, and is clearly taking a toll on the Ukrainian community,” he said,
He emphasized that the situation would be far worse were it not for the support of states like California, which have provided crucial grants to local, community-based organizations.
These groups offer vital assistance, helping refugees navigate the complex immigration system and access resources for housing, employment, and mental health during this difficult period.
This is not the first time the community has faced such stress under the current administration.
As Yuriy Boyechko, the CEO of the humanitarian organization Hope for Ukraine, recounted to Kyiv Post, an erroneous email from the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year mistakenly informed some Ukrainian refugees that their parole was being terminated.
Boyechko also highlighted reports of the administration considering using funds intended for refugee aid to instead finance the “voluntary return” of immigrants.
Humanitarian concerns mount
Humanitarian organizations are now sounding the alarm about a potential humanitarian crisis on both sides of the Atlantic.
Boyechko expressed concerns that mass deportations would worsen the humanitarian crisis inside Ukraine, which is already grappling with more than 3 million internally displaced people.
The deleted ICE post, combined with the conflicting statements from government officials, has intensified calls from advocacy groups for a clear and definitive commitment from the White House to allow these war refugees to remain in the US until a lasting peace can be secured in their war-torn homeland.