What's at stake:
The incoming Trump administration plans to end parolee and temporary protection statuses, potentially jeopardizing Ukrainian parolees' ability to stay or seek protection in the U.S.
Local advocates estimate that at least 300 to 400 Ukrainians have arrived in Fresno since Vladimir Putin’s Russian army invasion of their homeland in the spring of 2022, and their legal status could be at risk under President-elect Donald Trump’s administration.
More than 6 million people have fled their homes since Russian forces invaded Ukraine more than two years ago, scattering Ukrainian war refugees across the globe — including hundreds that fled to Fresno County.
Since winning re-election last month, Trump has provided little detail on specific plans to carry out his sweeping campaign promises on a range of immigration issues, further fueling uncertainty as immigration advocates try to prepare for a sea-change on U.S. immigration policies.
Other promises include to “carry out the largest domestic deportation operation in American history,” targeting measures like birthright citizenship, barring undocumented children from schools, separating families at the border, and dismantling Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which protects undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children.
However, the uncertainty surrounding how Trump plans to fulfill his promises leaves dozens of Ukrainian parolees and their families in Fresno County in limbo.
What local advocates anticipate for Ukrainians under a second Trump administration
Fresno Interdenominational Refugee Ministries, a faith-based nonprofit serving over 10,000 refugees in the San Joaquin Valley, have served 165 Ukrainian families since February 2022.
Linda Renland, FIRM’s refugee success program manager, said that many Ukrainians were drawn to areas with established communities, such as the Fresno-Clovis area, where they have access to a support network and resources, including FIRM.
Refugees arrive with documentation that allows them, after one year, to apply for a green card and, after five years, for citizenship. Parolees, however, do not have this pathway to permanent legal status.
“It’s unclear whether [Trump’s proposals] would mean halting new admissions or targeting individuals already here, potentially even for deportation,” said Renland. “Even if Trump decides not to support communities on parole or temporary protection status, the situation is particularly alarming with Republicans holding control in the House and Congress.”
The Rev. Dr. Greg Zubacz, a pastor at the Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Parish of the Archangel Michael, acknowledged that “it is unknown what will be done in terms of U.S. support policy under the new president” and uncertain whether Trump can end the war.
However, he believes Trump “has been a good friend to the Ukrainian community in the U.S.” and added that his parish “does not anticipate any negative outcomes or effects on those who came here under the programs established since the war began.”
Will Trump terminate Ukrainian parolees programs?
Ukrainian parolees who entered the U.S. between Feb. 24, 2022, and Sept. 30 of this year are authorized by Congress to stay and work immediately upon arrival and are eligible for benefits like CalWORKs, food stamps, and Medi-Cal. However, this status does not offer long-term legal protections, benefits or a permanent solution.
Benefits typically last for about one year to help individuals establish themselves. Most people start working before that period ends, and as soon as they begin earning, their benefits decrease.
Renland noted that Congress might not approve eligibility for benefits for new Ukrainian parolee holders. If that happens, the Preferred Communities program—which offers critical interventions and services for refugees with special needs who have arrived within the past five years—would be particularly affected and unable to serve them.
These challenges are not new to FIRM, a 30-year-old organization that Renland said successfully operated during Trump’s previous administration without always relying on federal grants.
For instance, it ran an after-school program for Ukrainian youth for over a year without dedicated funding.
Nataliya Svider, who works as a refugee youth mentoring project coordinator at FIRM, helps run the after-school program by meeting weekly with young people aged 15 to 21 who participate in peer support groups, workshops, field trips, and other activities.
Svider came to Fresno 15 years ago from Ukraine, becoming a U.S. citizen through the Lautenberg Program, which helps religious minorities from former Soviet countries join families in the United States.
“In my community, because I’m Ukrainian, they know that FIRM is the place,” said Svider. “They always can find help here. Everyone is expecting to not just be parolees, but refugees, and they hope to receive a green card and eventually become permanent residents. Ukrainian immigrants and parolees want to contribute to this country, be part of it, and be eligible to vote in the future to help everyone here.”
How both nonprofits support Ukrainians
In order to support the programs and resources FIRM provides without federal support, the organization uses alternative funding sources, including contributions from immigrant-serving and immigrant-rights organizations, faith-based groups, health organizations, and grants from Fresno County.
New arrivals often need help navigating the system and accessing resources, especially when county workers are unfamiliar with their eligibility. FIRM steps in to assist with transportation, benefit applications, translation in 15 languages, and financial aid for expenses like PG&E bills. It also provides employment support, after-school programs, housing counseling, and free flu and COVID vaccine clinics, ensuring self-sufficiency through at least 90 days of case management.
“All of the different things we do at FIRM, it’s usually somehow led by someone in the community,” said Renland. “They speak languages of the populations that they work with, they’re from that culture, so their understanding is really different.”
To ensure programs reflect the communities they serve, FIRM hosts events where participants share their needs and feedback, enabling programs to be tailored to what truly works for them.
“I think we just need the community to come out and show that this is not what Fresno is about,” said Renland. “Even if we disagree on other political matters, we still fully support newcomers, parolee holders, refugees, and temporary protection status holders, and we recognize that they have a right to protection.”
Zubacz said that his church is involved in fundraising for the needs of people in Ukraine and has “opened our doors to Ukrainian Catholic faithful who moved to the Central Valley.”
The local Ukrainian parish in Clovis has welcomed newcomers into their community by hosting celebrations such as a Ukrainian Independence Day event last August and offering church services similar to those provided in Ukrainian Catholic churches in Ukraine.
“We provide a sense of community and belonging,” said Zubacz. “People and families from the different regions of Ukraine [can] come together to support one another and hear each other’s experiences.”
Classes are also offered for English-speaking members to learn Ukrainian by participating in online courses offered by the church’s eparchy in Michigan over Zoom.
Through the church’s fundraising efforts, Zubacz and his parish work with both the Caritas Ukraine, a humanitarian aid organization under Caritas Internationalis, and the patriarchal administration in Ukraine to provide humanitarian support to those affected by the war and have raised awareness through Youtube programs. They’ve also previously partnered with the Most Rev. Joseph Brennan of the Diocese of Fresno to run a fundraiser called Sing for Peace.
Zubacz emphasized the importance of staying connected to faith because “people need faith to survive crises and grief.” To support this, the parish provides spiritual guidance, including prayers for the resolution of the war and for its victims and deceased. As the pastor, Zubacz also offers one-on-one grief counseling to those in need.
For community members who want to support humanitarian aid to Ukraine through Zubacz’s parish, they ask for people to go to St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy’s online donation page.
At FIRM, Renland said they always need volunteers for after-school programs, household items donations, or contacting senators to advocate for the protection of parolee holders.
Editor’s note: Christine Barker, FIRM’s executive director, serves on Fresnoland’s Board of Directors. Under Fresnoland’s Editorial Independence Policy, the board has no involvement in editorial decisions or pre-publication review.
