Trump suspends programs to let in immigrants, including Ukrainians

The New York Times reports, citing a senior official from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, that the directive requires the immediate suspension of "final decisions" regarding applications related to certain immigration programs while the administration reviews them and decides whether to discontinue them.

"The scope of the programs mentioned in the pause is vast, and this decision will block the entry of immigrants fleeing some of the most unstable and hopeless places in the world. In addition to Ukraine, which has suffered from years of war, the programs provided a pathway for immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, and Venezuela, among others," the publication states.

The decision also indicates that the Trump administration plans to halt a broad range of programs that allowed immigrants to enter the U.S. Administration representatives said Trump believes many of these programs were never legal.

The order also includes the Biden-era initiative Uniting for Ukraine, which allowed Ukrainian immigrants to temporarily enter the U.S. if they had financial sponsors. According to government data, more than 150,000 Ukrainians had entered under this program by September 2023.

The directive also halts decisions regarding applications for a program that allowed certain families to reunite in the U.S., as well as another initiative for minors from Central America who have family members in the U.S.

• China supports the intentions of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to resolve the "Ukrainian crisis" as soon as possible, but believes that the only way to achieve this is through negotiations