Trump prepares to revoke legal status for many migrants who arrived under Biden
CNNJAN 29
White House Denies Plan to Revoke Ukrainian Refugees' Status
Above: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during the daily White House press briefing at the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on March 5, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Image copyright: Anna Moneymaker/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Spin
Democratic narrative
Trump's xenophobic agenda has become even more ruthless. On top of his original plan to deport half a million people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela who are escaping violence and persecution, he's going to pull the rug out from under 240K Ukrainians. With complete disregard for Zelenskyy's peace pleas and past US government policies, Trump has chosen to side with authoritarian regimes over their victims.
Republican narrative
Biden prioritized a surge of Ukrainian refugees — straining an already overloaded system. If Trump wants to achieve his deportation goal, he has to hire new personnel to lead it, as the current leadership has failed to enforce 1.5M existing orders. President Trump is taking on an immigration emergency head-on; all options are on the table but no firm decision has been made on this issue at the moment.