What is known about the first mass deportation of Ukrainians from the USA

Ukrainians began to be deported from the USA: the first 50 citizens have already crossed the border at «Shehyni», and the authorities are preparing new groups for deportation on special flights. Some Ukrainians were informed about the risk of being transferred to Ukraine or Poland. This is reported by Visit Ukraine.

Deportations of Ukrainians from the USA: who were affected by the first decisions

The Donald Trump administration is considering the possibility of large-scale deportation of citizens with violations of immigration status. The Washington Post reports that some Ukrainians have already been warned about the preparation of military flights by ICE. According to documents from the U.S. Department of Justice, in the near future they plan to deport about 80 citizens of Ukraine who have received final court decisions.

Ukraine's Ambassador to the USA Olha Stefanishyna confirmed: it concerns people who have violated American law or missed immigration hearings. Some of these decisions were made even before the full-scale war began.

On November 18, the first 50 deported persons returned to Ukraine through the checkpoint «Shehyni». They had Ukrainian passports or return documents, and the USA had previously informed Ukraine about the transit through Poland.

Who risks deportation from the USA

There is no official information about a mass deportation campaign, although in 2024, the USA has already deported 53 Ukrainians. The potential deportation of 80 persons is the largest in recent years, but in the diaspora's context, the numbers remain small. Concerns have intensified following a report by The Washington Post, which points to plans for stricter control over foreigners.

According to lawyers, the following categories are most often at risk:

• persons with expired or unrenewed U4U, TPS statuses or visas
• those who missed immigration hearings
• people detained for law violations
• persons without valid documents or legal grounds for residence.

The Ukrainian embassy emphasizes: holders of valid U4U, TPS statuses and other legal grounds are not at risk. Previous rumors about plans to expel over 200,000 Ukrainians were publicly denied by Donald Trump, stating that they can remain in the USA until the end of the war.

Earlier, we reported that Russia is preparing a new wave of deportations of Ukrainians from the temporarily occupied territories to Siberia.