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As Trump dismantles asylum programs, Russians and Ukrainians fear for future

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+ Jasmine Garsd A man kneels as he pays his respects in front of a makeshift memorial for Ukrainian and foreign soldiers at Independence Square on the fourth anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv on Feb.
− Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Planet Money Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop The Best Music of 2025 All Songs Considered Tiny Desk Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics As Trump dismantles asylum programs, Russians and Ukrainians fear for future The Trump administration has been sending asylum seekers from Ukraine and Russia back to a warzone.
+ 24.
− One family in Minnesota says they fear for their lives.
+ Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images hide caption On a cold December morning in the city of Eagan, Minnesota a family went through their usual morning hustle: mom prepared breakfast, dressed the kids and jumped in the shower, while Dad stepped outside to warm up the car. By the time the mom, Ekaterina, got out of the shower, her world had changed completely: she had a missed call as well as a text message from her husband, Bogdan.
− World As Trump dismantles asylum programs, Russians and Ukrainians fear for future February 26, 20265:34 PM ET Heard on All Things Considered Jasmine Garsd ICE RUSSIAN DETAINEE Listen &middot; 4:12 4:12 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5684806/nx-s1-9665523" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript The Trump administration has been sending asylum seekers from Ukraine and Russia back to a warzone.
+ It read: "Katyusha, I was just arrested by ICE.
− One family in Minnesota says they fear for their lives.
+ They are taking me to detention.
− Sponsor Message JUANA SUMMERS, HOST: Four years on from Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, hundreds of thousands of Russians and Ukrainians have found refuge in America.
+ I'll call you later, please pick up.
− But now, under President Trump's immigration crackdown, many are being forcibly returned.
+ I left the car key on the back tire.
− NPR's Jasmine Garsd reports on one Minnesota family's dilemma. JASMINE GARSD, BYLINE: On a cold December morning in the city of Eagan, Minnesota, a family went through their usual hustle.
+ I love you." Ekaterina says she ran out into the cold, shocked.
− Mom prepared breakfast, dressed the kids and jumped in the shower while Dad stepped outside to warm up the car.
+ This was their worst nightmare come true: their family is among the hundreds of thousands of Russians and Ukrainians who have fled the war and sought refuge in the U.S.
− But by the time the woman, named Ekaterina, got out of the shower, her world had changed completely. She had a missed call and a text message from her husband, Bogdan.
+ Under President Trump's immigration crackdown, hundreds are now being forcibly returned.
− EKATERINA: (Speaking Russian) ICE officers (speaking Russian). GARSD: It read, "Katyusha, I was just arrested by ICE.
+ Ekaterina and Bogdan requested that NPR withhold their last name because they are Russian citizens who are opposed to the invasion of Ukraine and fear persecution back in Russia.
− They're taking me to detention.
+ Bogdan fled to avoid the Russian draft.
− I'll call you later. Please pick up." EKATERINA: (Speaking Russian).
+ They say they are terrified about what happens if they get deported and sent back to Russia.
− GARSD: "I left the car key on the back tire.
+ "I don't want to die," says Bodgan over the phone, from a federal immigration detention center in Louisiana.
− I love you." The family has asked that NPR withhold their last name because they're Russian citizens opposed to the invasion of Ukraine, and Bogdan fled the Russian draft. They are terrified about what happens if they get deported and sent back to Russia. BOGDAN: Because I don't want to die. GARSD: This is Bogdan over the phone from detention in Louisiana.
He's been there for more than two months.
− BOGDAN: I'm not crazy to go and die there and to, you know, kill my own relatives or something.
− My father is from Ukraine.
+ "I'm not crazy to go and die there and to kill my own relatives.
+ My father's from Ukraine.
My mother is from Russia.
− They both are my relatives, both sides, so I'm not killing them. GARSD: Back in Russia, Ekaterina worked with children.
+ They both are my relatives, both sides.
+ I'm not killing them." Back when they lived in Russia, Ekaterina worked with children.
Bogdan was a language tutor.
− In 2022, their second daughter was born with a congenital condition, spina bifida.
+ They say their world began to fall apart in 2022.
− She needs a walker to move around.
+ Their second daughter was born with a congenital condition, spina bifida, and now needs a walker to move around.
− So the war wasn't just an ethical quandary.
+ Shortly after her birth, Russia invaded Ukraine.
− It was a financial burden.
+ The war presented a financial burden: their daughter's disability requires time and money for care.
− Their daughter's disability requires time and money for care, and the Russian government has imposed a strict military draft for men.
+ The Russian government imposed a strict military draft for men.
− They migrated to the U.S.
+ The family migrated to the US following asylum protocols: they requested entry to the U.S.
− following asylum protocols to a T.
+ through Tijuana, Mexico, which is a legal port of entry.
− They requested entry to the U.S.
+ After an hours-long interview by a federal immigration official, they were granted parole - permission to temporarily live and work in the United States.
− through Tijuana, Mexico, a legal port of entry, and they were granted parole - permission to temporarily live and work in the United States.
+ A friend had told them Minnesota was a good place to raise a family, and "the weather feels familiar, like home," says Ekaterina.
− They both found work at a Minnesota nursing home and formally applied for asylum.
+ Both found work at a Minnesota nursing home and formally applied for asylum.
That application is still pending.
− And so four years later, when the Trump administration started its immigration crackdown campaign, Bogdan told his wife, don't worry about it.
− EKATERINA: We're working officially, so we're not criminal - no any criminal.
+ Ukrainians seeking asylum walk at the El Chaparral port of entry on their way to enter the United States, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, on April 6, 2022 in Tijuana, Mexico.
− Like, not in our country, not here.
+ Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption Four years later, when the Trump administration started its immigration crackdown Bogdan told his wife not to worry.
− So why we need to worry? GARSD: But over the last year, the Trump administration has moved to reduce asylum, refugee and humanitarian parole programs.
+ "We're working officially.
− And that's left many, including Ekaterina and Bogdan, in limbo.
+ We're not criminal.
− According to the Department of Homeland Security, in the last two fiscal years, more than 600 Ukrainians and Russians were deported.
+ So why we need to worry?" But over the last year the Trump administration has moved to reduce asylum, refugee and humanitarian parole programs.
− DHS didn't respond to questions about Bogdan's case.
+ That has left many, including Ekaterina and Bogdan, in limbo.
− His lawyer says Bogdan has no criminal record. And he says if he gets sent back to Russia, he'll likely face jail time or be sent to a war that's already inflicted well over a million casualties.
+ According to the Department Homeland Security in the last two fiscal years, more that 600 Ukrainians and Russians were deported.
− I ask Ekaterina how she's handling the stress, but before she can answer, the phone rings.
+ "It's very clear that the way in which the U.S.
− It's Bogdan calling from detention in Louisiana.
+ is trying to position itself on humanitarian issues has shifted fairly dramatically," says Susan Fratze with the Migration Policy Institute, a non-partisan think tank that studies international immigration patterns and policies.
− EKATERINA: (Speaking Russian). BOGDAN: (Speaking Russian). UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: (Speaking Russian). GARSD: He talks to his youngest, who is 4 years old and thinks he's on a long work trip.
+ She says it's not just a major shift in domestic politics, it's a change in the role the US plays in the world.
− The eldest, age 8, knows what's happening and is upset.
+ In the past, Fratze says, the U.S.
− Bogdan tells NPR he is surrounded by so many people who've been living in the U.S.
+ accrued diplomatic soft power by opening its doors to refugees.
− for decades. BOGDAN: Many of them, they break mentally, pretty fast.
+ "It really helped to shape perceptions of the United States abroad.
− Everybody tells them that all of the people who - all the people who stay here are going to be deported - everyone, no exception. GARSD: But he says he can't afford to go back to a war with no clear end in sight.
+ And the absence of that is something that is really being missed right now." DHS did not respond to NPR's questions about Bogdan's case.
− Jasmine Garsd, NPR News, Minneapolis.
+ His lawyer says Bogdan has no criminal record, and if he is sent back to Russia he'll likely face jail time, or be sent to a war that's already inflicted well over a million casualties.
− (SOUNDBITE OF BADBADNOTGOOD AND ELMIENE SONG, "MARKING MY TIME") Copyright &copy; 2026 NPR.
+ NPR was able to speak to Bagdan at the Prairie Pines detention Center in Louisiana.
− All rights reserved.
+ His youngest daughter is 4 years old, and she thinks he is on a long work trip.
− Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
+ The eldest, age 8, knows what is happening. Bogdan will have a hearing in front of an immigration judge in Louisiana on March 21st. Bagdan told NPR he is surrounded by people who have been living in the U.S.
− Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary.
+ for decades, many of whom have never been in a jail or detention center. "Many of them, they break mentally pretty fast," he says.
− Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio.
+ The detainees and guards tell them all the people who stay here are going to be deported.
− Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication.
+ Everyone.
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+ No exception." He says he feels he can't afford to break down, or go back to a war that has no clear end in sight. Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor