The United States has asked some Ukrainians living legally in the country under a Biden-era humanitarian parole program to leave the country.
According to CNN, the Ukranians received a notice this week from the Department of Homeland Security telling them to leave the US.
The message has reportedly prompted panic and later turned out to be erroneous, according to the news channel.
“It is time for you to leave the United States,”; the department wrote Thursday to some Ukrainians, as quoted by CNN.
It was a “notice of termination of parole,”; which was obtained by CNN.
It added that their parole was to expire in seven days, warning: “Do not attempt to remain in the United States — the federal government will find you.”;
However, the message was said to have been “in error,”; according to a follow-up communication obtained by CNN.
The subsequent notice also said that “no action will be taken”; as indicated in the previous message, adding, “the terms of your parole as originally issued remain unchanged at this time.”;
The administration of President Donald Trump is cracking down on immigration, deporting hundreds of illegal immigrants.
DHS confirmed in a statement to CNN that the message sent to some Ukrainians under the parole program was a mistake and that the “parole program has not been terminated”.
There are also no plans to end the program, a spokesperson told CNN. DHS paused admissions under the program in January, shortly after Trump took office.
“This shocked everyone that received this,”; said Angela Boelens, the president and founder of IA NICE, an organization that helps sponsor Ukrainian families.
She went on to detail the experience of two women, one of whom is pregnant and the other who has an infant, who received the email and “were just immediately terrorized. They were crying, calling their sponsors, saying, ‘What did I do?’”;
