With their temporary lifeline set to expire in April, South Florida’s Ukrainian community is gripped by fear, facing the looming possibility of being forced to return to a war-ravaged homeland they fled years ago.
Viktoriya Yatsyuk fights back tears as she flips through photos of her home in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, near Odessa, now a painful reminder of what her family lost.
“We, my husband, we are not from rich families. We worked for 15 years to buy this flat. All we had, we put into this flat,” she said.
Yatsyuk, her husband and their two sons fled Ukraine three years ago, seeking safety in the U.S.
They have since built a life in South Florida under Temporary Protected Status (TPS), but that stability is now in jeopardy, as their TPS designation is set to expire in April.
“We applied to extend our status, so we wait,” Yatsyuk said. “But we are very afraid if it’s canceled.”
Growing concerns as other TPS protections end
The uncertainty surrounding TPS for Ukrainians has only deepened following recent decisions to rescind similar protections for Venezuelans and Haitians. Many fear they could be next.
“If they won’t extend TPS, I don’t know what we will do. Maybe go to England or Canada,” Yatsyuk said. “It’s hard to start a new life in a new country.”
Inna Latsenko, who fled Kyiv with her two children and now lives in Dania Beach, shares the same fears. Her husband remains in Ukraine, fighting on the front lines.
“There’s no humanitarian reason why they’d be sent back home,” Latsenko said.
Her own home in Ukraine has been left in ruins. She remains hopeful but is troubled by recent remarks suggesting Ukraine might have to offer the U.S. access to natural resources in return for past military aid.
“Ukraine is bleeding, yet it is being handed a bill to pay,” she said. “I want to say loud and clear: our homeland is not for sale.”
Calls for stability and a “Plan B”
Angie Watstein, founder of the Ukrainian Refugee Resettlement Project, said the lack of clarity about the future is creating widespread anxiety among displaced Ukrainians.
“Our biggest concern is not knowing what tomorrow will bring and just having some stability,” Watstein said.
She urges families to prepare for the worst.
“I would say continue what you’re doing. Keep your morale up and plan for a rainy day,” she said. “I believe Plan B would be the best way to have.”
As the April deadline approaches, thousands of Ukrainians living in the U.S. are left waiting and worrying about whether they will be allowed to stay or forced to start over once again.
