Catholic Charities Family and Community Services calls on federal policymakers to protect families who fled war in Ukraine

Rochester, NY (October 5, 2026) – Hundreds of Ukrainians who sought safety in Rochester after fleeing war face significant stress and uncertainty as protections under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) approach a critical deadline. TPS for Ukraine was first designated in 2022 following the outbreak of war and was later extended due to continuing armed conflict and unsafe humanitarian conditions in the country. The most recent extension, announced by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, will expire on October 19, 2026, ending a program that allowed Ukrainians displaced by war to live and work legally in the U.S.

Since the beginning of the war in 2022, Catholic Charities Family and Community Services (CCFCS) has helped resettle 2500 Ukrainian men, women and children in Rochester. Most of these individuals came to the U.S. under a humanitarian parole program called Uniting for Ukraine (U4U). Others applied for and received TPS. The federal government permanently suspended U4U in 2025; with the termination of TPS, an increasing number of families face precarious immigration status, loss of work authorization and ability to earn income to support their families, and anxiety about their ability to remain safely with their loved ones in Rochester.

“The uncertainty surrounding TPS is more than an immigration issue. It is a human issue," said Getachew Beshir, CCFCS Director of Refugee, Immigration and Employment Services. "Families who have done everything asked of them should not have to face fear of deportation while war continues in their homeland."

CCFCS is urging the Departments of Homeland Security and State to extend TPS for Ukrainians ahead of the program’s October 19 expiration date, and to redesignate TPS for Ukrainians currently living in the U.S. The community can help by contacting their representatives in Congress to ask them to support a TPS extension for Ukrainians and provide clear, compassionate and durable immigration solutions that protect vulnerable families. That includes continued uninterrupted employment authorization, quicker adjudication of pending immigration cases, and an easier path to U.S. citizenship.

Ukrainian families who fled the war have now lived in Rochester for several years. They are working and paying taxes, have enrolled children in local schools, and established stability. Extending TPS will allow them to remain safe while the war continues in their homeland.