A Ukrainian Woman’s Struggle in the United States
Veronika McCann, a 31-year-old Ukrainian woman residing in Martinsburg, West Virginia, is grappling with profound anxiety over the potential revocation of her family’s immigration status due to former President Donald Trump’s proposed plans. Reports indicate that Trump is considering reversing the temporary legal protections granted to approximately 240,000 Ukrainians who fled their homeland amid the relentless Russian invasion. These protections, known as “temporary protected status,” are similar to those provided to individuals from Haiti and Venezuela.
According to sources from the Reuters news agency, Trump’s administration is planning to strip legal status from over 1.8 million migrants who entered the United States under temporary humanitarian parole programs initiated during the Biden administration.
Veronika’s family faced harrowing circumstances as they fled Ukraine. After the full-scale invasion began in 2022, her mother, Oksana Porplenko, along with her two younger sisters, Mariia (22) and Anna (14), made their way to the United States. While Oksana successfully secured a green card through family reunification, Mariia was granted Temporary Protected Status, and Anna arrived on Ukrainian Humanitarian Parole. Veronika expresses deep frustration and anger at the thought of Trump’s intentions to revoke these temporary legal statuses, fearing for the safety of many Ukrainian families she knows who are terrified of being forced back into a war zone.
“It makes me feel sick,” Veronika said. “It feels like he is siding with the devil, Putin, to remove Ukrainians from safety. Despite my pride in being American, my Ukrainian roots run deep, and it pains me immensely to witness all of this.”
The McCann family hails from the outskirts of Kyiv, a region that has faced relentless drone and missile attacks since the onset of the war. “My family has endured complete hell,” she reflected. “I am so grateful they survived. My mother was walking to work when bombs began falling just ahead of her.”
If Trump follows through with his proposals, Veronika fears the consequences for her sisters. “They would have to return right into the line of fire,” she lamented. “We don’t have any relatives in Europe to turn to. They could stay with my father and grandparents in Ukraine, but it is chaotic and perilous. There is no guarantee that a bomb won’t strike our apartment. My mother’s family resides in territories currently occupied by Russian forces.”
Veronika has dedicated countless hours to securing long-term status for her sisters, navigating an intricate and often frustrating immigration system. “Immigration law is exceedingly complicated,” she stated. “We face years of waiting for status adjustments, and the paperwork, including employment authorization, is exorbitantly expensive. No matter how hard we strive, it always feels insufficient. It’s just unfair.”
“We keep confronting these additional costs due to the broken immigration system in this country,” she added. “We are experiencing panic attacks. What will happen? Will they be forced to return to Ukraine amidst the bombing?”
Concerns Extend Beyond Ukrainians
Iryna Mazur, an immigration lawyer based in Philadelphia, has described the situation as “very, very troubling.” She has been inundated with phone calls not only from distressed Ukrainians but also from American employers. “Since the news broke, I’ve received an overwhelming number of calls. My clients are terrified. They fear uncertainty, the loss of their status, and how they will provide for their families,” she explained.
As a board member of the Ukraine Immigration Task Force, a nonprofit organization established to assist Ukrainian refugees following the invasion, Mazur is acutely aware of the widespread panic. “I’ve also been contacted by American employers who have hired numerous Ukrainians,” she noted. “These workers possess specialized skills, and American employers are genuinely worried. One employer told me he has 60 Ukrainian employees. This could have a significant impact on American businesses.”
Many of Mazur’s clients have lost everything back home and have nowhere else to turn. “They have lost their homes; they literally have nowhere to go,” she said, representing individuals from Mariupol, a city devastated by Russian bombardment early in the war. “Others come from regions currently under Russian control. They arrived here, found jobs, and have become law-abiding residents.”
The challenge lies in the fact that the Uniting For Ukraine (U4U) program, which allowed them to enter the US, was initiated at the discretion of the Biden administration rather than through congressional action. Mazur highlighted that when Trump assumed office, he promptly announced a review of all such programs, with the review initially intended to last 90 days. However, changes are occurring more rapidly than anticipated, including a recent order from Homeland Security that has paused all U4U applications, affecting both those seeking to enter the US and those already present.
“For Ukrainians who fled the war, their fate hinges on the political decisions of the current administration,” Mazur stated. “We hope they recognize the dire consequences that would follow if their parole status is terminated. It would result in devastation for many individuals who have nowhere to return.”
“Their homes have been obliterated, and their country remains a war zone. To revoke the status of these individuals would leave them in severe distress,” she added. “I can hardly believe the administration would take such a step. Can they do it? Yes. But I sincerely hope they won’t.”
