An Ukrainian family who settled in Orange County after fleeing the ongoing war with Russia is now fearing being deported back to the danger they left behind as immigration policies hang in the balance.
The Gladushko family began to find stability in the U.S. after arriving in April 2022, two months after the war began.
After a Southern California family took them in, Oleksandr Gladushko found work as a paralegal, enrolling his son in school and welcoming a new baby with his wife.
“We came here with only two bags,” Gladushko said. “What’s next, I don’t know.”
The family came to the U.S. under Uniting For Ukraine (U4U), a Biden-era program that allowed Ukrainians to enter the U.S. on humanitarian parole, granting them temporary stay and giving them work authorization until 2026.
The Gladushkos said they applied for temporary protective status (TPS), which protects immigrants from countries facing armed conflicts, natural disasters or other crises.
The patriarch’s wife and son were approved for TPS, but his application is still pending.
While the family is puzzled by the application and approval process, delays are common, according to immigration attorney Alex Galvez.
“Right now with everything that has to do with immigration and USCIS, everything’s backlogged,” Galvez said. “But as long as they file for re-registration between Jan.17, 2025 and March 18, 2025, they will be registered for the TPS that expires Oct. 19, 2026.”
But the future of the temporary protective status program and U4U is uncertain under the Trump administration as the government has already stopped accepting new applications.
If the programs end, the Gladushkos’ legal status will expire as going back to Ukraine is not an option for them.
“We lost our house. It’s somewhere in Russian-controlled territory,” he said.” We have no plan B or C, we don’t have it.”
The Ukrainian immigration task force said more than 280,000 Ukrainians settled in the U.S. since 2020 under the U4U program.
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