CLEVELAND — Tamila Vashchuk and her 10-year-old son were issued removal orders by U.S. immigration authorities in December 2022 after attempting to re-enter the country following an unauthorized trip abroad while on humanitarian parole.

The mother and son entered the U.S. in June 2022 under the Uniting for Ukrainians humanitarian parole program. They subsequently traveled outside the U.S. without permission, according to a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson. Upon their attempt to re-enter through Boston Logan International Airport, they were issued the removal orders.

Tamila Vashchuk said she consulted U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and Customs and Border Protection officials before leaving the U.S. "We were told repeatedly that due to the humanitarian parole stamps in our passports, we would be re-admitted to the US without any issues," she said. A DHS spokesperson stated that Tamila Vashchuk and her son attempted to illegally re-enter the U.S. through Boston without valid travel documents.

Mykola Vashchuk, Tamila's husband and the 10-year-old's father, does not face deportation. The family resides in Bay Village, Ohio. The Vashchuks' 10-year-old son has a hormonal deficiency that requires daily refrigerated medication. Mykola Vashchuk stated that the supply of his son's medication in Ukraine is unreliable. "The doctor was saying that the supply in Ukraine is unreliable, and he has to take it until he is 18," he said.

Tamila Vashchuk and her son have an immigration court hearing scheduled for August. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson stated that they will receive full due process pending the outcome of these immigration proceedings. Mykola Vashchuk said, "Technically, you have broken the parole." Tamila Vashchuk said, "I have two master's degrees. We know this country. We love this country. We just want to stay here."

The Uniting for Ukraine program allowed more than 235,000 people fleeing the war to enter the U.S. TRAC, a research center at Syracuse University, reported that immigration judges in Cleveland have denied asylum applications at rates exceeding 70% for several years. The judge assigned to the Vashchuks' case has the highest asylum denial rate in the Cleveland immigration court.

Temporary protected status for an estimated 103,000 Ukrainian nationals is set to end in October. Global Refuge released a report in February stating that conditions in Ukraine meet the statutory requirements for Temporary Protected Status. The U.S. Department of State has categorized Ukraine as a "level four: do not travel" country.