Lower thirds:

00:25 Bogdan Fetisov / Ukrainian in US on humanitarian visa
02:11 Misha Komadovsky / US Correspondent
02:29 Donald Trump / US President | 2025
02:45 Bogdan Fetisov / Ukrainian in US on humanitarian visa

Script:

He fled the war in Ukraine. Started saving Americans as a firefighter. Will America let him stay? 

Meet Bogdan Fetisov, one of more than 100,000 Ukrainians in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status, or TPS. 

He arrived legally in 2023 and built a new life. TPS allowed him to live and work in the U.S. 

+++ Bogdan Fetisov, Ukrainian TPS holder +++
"When I got here in the U.S. in 2023, I'm like, hey, what is the way I can say thank you? And I guess, you know, becoming a full-time firefighter, an EMT. This is my way of saying thank you to the U.S. government. You know, thank you to the U.S. nation for helping us, and I'm so grateful that I had a chance, you know, to finish the fire academy and become a firefighter, because now, when people call 911 and I show up and I'm trying to help people, this is the best feeling in the world."

While protecting others, he learned that TPS doesn’t protect him from unemployment. 

+++ Bogdan Fetisov, Ukrainian TPS holder +++
"I was serving the community for one month, and then, after one month, my documents expired. So, yeah, I lost my job for five and a half months."

Bogdan was not alone. Thousands of Ukrainians went months without valid work permits. 

That’s because work authorization requires a separate application and fee and doesn’t automatically align with TPS. 

So even while protected from deportation, some couldn’t earn a living. They burned through savings, relied on family and friends, or considered leaving the U.S. 

And keeping that paperwork valid can cost thousands of dollars. 

+++ Bogdan Fetisov, Ukrainian TPS holder +++
"I spent about $25,000 on my documents, on all the immigration paperwork, about that amount. But I'm not complaining. 

The Department of Homeland Security was expected to decide by August 20 whether to extend TPS for Ukrainians. It didn't, and it gave no reason why."

So, TPS is automatically extended for 180 days. After that, there can be no more automatic extensions. The government must decide whether Ukrainians can stay in the U.S. or leave. 

At the same time, the administration is ending 13 TPS programs, including for people from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Burma and Haiti. Some Ukrainians fear they could be next

+++ Misha Komadovsky, US Correspondent +++
"That's why a bipartisan group of lawmakers is urging the Secretary of Homeland Security to extend Ukraine's TPS designation saying it's essential to preserve lawful status and work authorization for thousands of Ukrainians."

In 2025, President Trump told DW he would let Ukrainians stay as long as the war continues. 

+++ Donald Trump, US President / 2025 +++
"I think we will. We have a lot of people who came in from Ukraine, and we’re working with them."

Bogdan fears Ukrainians are losing US support. He has this message for President Trump. 
 
+++ Bogdan Fetisov, Ukrainian TPS holder +++  
"I'm trying to show my gratitude by you know by being a firefighter, right? By helping others, by serving my community, by paying taxes, by being a law obedient citizen, so I would say thank you, and I would ask please keep Ukrainians still in in the U.S. because we need that."

With the Trump administration eyeing visa-cancellations and ramping up immigrant arrests and deportations, Bogdan wants his message not to fall on deaf ears.

END