Immigrant trucker returns to war-torn Ukraine rather than risk ICE encounter: ‘I preferred going back home’

Karina Krainova, a Ukrainian trucker who fled Russia's invasion, returned to war-torn Ukraine rather than risk an encounter with ICE after the Trump administration tightened commercial driver's license requirements for noncitizen drivers. Krainova had entered the U.S. legally in 2024 under a Biden-era humanitarian program for Ukrainians and was working as a trucker when new federal restrictions on immigrant driver licenses prompted her to rush to renew her credentials. The policy change threatens the livelihoods of noncitizen truckers, including Ukrainians escaping active conflict, forcing some to abandon their jobs in the U.S. and return to danger. Krainova chose to leave America rather than risk deportation back to Ukraine, where the Russian invasion continues. The case illustrates the unintended consequences of stricter immigration enforcement on immigrants with legal status who are actively working and contributing to the economy.