A plan to revoke the temporary legal status held by some 240,000 Ukrainians who fled to the US after the Russian invasion began is being prepared by the administration of Donald Trump, according to Reuters, citing a senior Russian administration official and three sources with knowledge of the matter.

If the plan is implemented, then Ukrainians who took refuge in the US after the war will potentially be put on a fast-track deportation process.

The plan is expected to come into effect in April, and its implementation would represent a striking reversal of the US stance, which under Joe Biden’s administration, warmly welcomed the Ukrainians.

However, Reuters reports that the plan to overturn the legal status of Ukrainian refugees existed before Donald Trump publicly clashed with Volodymyr Zelensky, last week and comes as part of a broader effort by the new US administration to lift the protection status of more than 1.8 million migrants who were able to enter the US under temporary humanitarian programs initiated by the previous administration.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said the department has not announced anything at this time. The White House and the Ukrainian Embassy did not respond to requests for comment.

Presidential Decree

Already, on January 20, Donald Trump issued a presidential order calling on the Department of Homeland Security to end all related programs, and according to an internal email seen by Reuters, immigrants denied temporary legal status under Joe Biden‘s programs to create temporary legal channels to deter illegal immigration and provide humanitarian assistance will face expedited deportation proceedings.

In addition to the 240,000 Ukrainians who fled the Russian invasion, the measure will apply to some 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans. At the same time, more than 70,000 Afghans fleeing the occupation of Afghanistan were also placed under temporary status.

As early as the campaign season, Donald Trump pledged to end his predecessor’s programs, arguing that they exceed the limits of US law.