“Voluntary return”: Trump wants to deport 200 thousand Ukrainians from the US
20 May 15:46
The administration of US President Donald Trump has developed a plan for the “voluntary deportation” of migrants who have fled to the US from violence in their home countries. Among these migrants are 200,000 Ukrainians. The Washington Post reports this with reference to internal administration documents available to the publication, "Komersant Ukrainian" informs.
The plan is centered on a financial program for the “voluntary return” of migrants to countries where wars or humanitarian disasters are ongoing. Ukrainians are among the main target groups, along with citizens of Haiti, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and other countries, to which even the International Organization for Migration (IOM) does not recommend returning.
This plan directly contradicts previous U.S. policy, in particular the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) granted to Ukrainians in 2022, after the start of Russia’s full-scale aggression. Under current rules, this status allows those who cannot safely return home to reside legally in the United States. About half a million Haitians also have TPS.
Nevertheless, according to documents obtained by the publication, the Trump administration intends to financially incentivize the “voluntary return” of Ukrainians by paying $1,000 to those who agree to leave the United States. The money is proposed to be taken from the foreign aid budget, which was previously aimed at supporting countries, including Ukraine.
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Reaction in the United States
Observers believe that this is a dangerous political game: offering people to return to a country where there is a war going on, and where the United States itself is calling for people not to travel because of the threat to their lives. This is not just a humanitarian issue; it is an attempt to redefine the purpose of foreign aid: instead of helping refugees, it is to spend money on deportation.
Former officials and human rights activists call the initiative “inhuman” and “cynical.” In particular, former U.S. State Department official Uzra Zea said
“the idea of voluntary deportation is absurd,
when it comes to people fleeing war or violence.
Will they limit themselves to “incentives”?
Documents show that the US is already pressuring the Ukrainian government to accept not only deported Ukrainians, but also migrants of other nationalities whom the US wants to expel. This is particularly worrisome given that Ukraine is already struggling with the aftermath of the invasion and a large number of internally displaced persons.
The Trump administration explains this as a desire to “fulfill promises” and “streamline the system.” At the same time, critics point out that repatriation to countries where hostilities are ongoing is a direct violation of international law, namely the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning people to places where they are in danger.
Although the documents cited by The Washington Post are marked “preliminary,” administration sources confirm that the agreements have already been signed, and the $250 million has actually been approved to launch the program. Although the paperwork does not yet specify nationalities, Ukrainians appear in earlier versions of the plan as one of the main target groups.
Thus, there is a growing risk that in the near future tens of thousands of Ukrainians who have found refuge in the United States will face a choice – either to leave the country or to lose their legal status. And this is at a time when the United States is simultaneously mediating ceasefire negotiations in Ukraine.
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