Shaheen, Hassan Welcome Biden Administration’s Decision to Designate Temporary Protected Status for Ukrainians in U.S.

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) welcomed President Biden’s decision to grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Ukrainians in the United States amid the Russian military invasion of Ukraine. Earlier this week, they joined a letter to Biden urging the administration to provide this deportation relief to Ukrainians in the U.S.

“As Ukrainians around the world experience heartbreak and trauma amid Putin’s deadly invasion of Ukraine, helping Ukrainian nationals remain in the United States is a commonsense, compassionate step to ensure their safety. I’m glad President Biden heeded our calls from Congress to ensure the 30,000 Ukrainians in the U.S. have the protection they need through Temporary Protected Status designation,” said Shaheen, Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation. “The U.S. will continue to stand with Ukraine and support its people on the frontlines of the most dangerous threat to our global stability since the Cold War.”

“Putin's unprovoked, unconscionable war on Ukraine has already caused heartbreaking devastation and tragedy. As the United States and our allies bring to bear crippling consequences on Putin, his cronies, and the Russian economy as a whole, so too must we stand with the Ukrainian people. It is important that the Biden administration heeded our calls to ensure that Ukrainian nationals who are already in the U.S. can remain here and stay safe,” said Senator Hassan.

Established by the U.S. Congress through the Immigration Act of 1990, TPS is a temporary, renewable program that provides relief from deportation and access to a work permit for foreign nationals from certain countries who are unable to return safely to their home country due to natural disasters, armed conflicts or other extraordinary conditions. The decision to deny, withdraw or terminate TPS is in the sole discretion of the U.S. government. 

Last month, Shaheen led a successful bipartisan effort with Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) to pass a resolution that conveys a renewed and overwhelmingly bipartisan message from the U.S. Senate in fierce support of the United States’ Ukrainian partners. Senator Shaheen has long led efforts in the Senate to hold Russia accountable for its malign activity against the U.S. and our allies. Because of her role as a negotiator on Russia sanctions legislation known as “CAATSA” and her successful efforts to ban Kaspersky Lab software from operating on U.S. systems, Shaheen was sanctioned by the Kremlin in 2017. A member of the Senate Ukraine Caucus, Shaheen recently co-led a bipartisan congressional delegation to Ukraine with Ukraine Caucus co-chair Senator Rob Portman to reaffirm U.S. support for Ukraine’s right to defend itself. Shaheen previously led a bipartisan group of lawmakers to Eastern Europe, including Ukraine, last June. Last week, Shaheen issued a joint bipartisan statement with Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) marking the fourth anniversary of the Senate NATO Observer Group, which they re-established together and currently serve as co-chairs. 

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