Washington plans to spend about $250 million of foreign aid funds to repatriate people from active conflict zones, including about 200,000 Ukrainians and 500,000 Haitians, the Washington Post reported on May 20, citing the draft internal documents the newspaper obtained.
During Joe Biden's presidency, Ukrainians and Haitians were granted temporary protection, allowing them to stay in the U.S. if they could not return to their home country.
With the Trump administration coming to office, the U.S. has tightened its immigration policy. U.S. President Donald Trump previously pledged to impose harsher legislation on migrants and launch the "largest deportation program in U.S. history," aimed at removing 15 to 20 million migrants from the country.
According to the draft internal documents, the proposal was prepared after the Department of Homeland Security issued a statement on May 5. The statement read that those immigrants who voluntarily leave the U.S. for their home countries would be eligible for $1,000 in assistance.
Besides Ukrainians and Haitians, the draft documents also mention Afghans, Palestinians, Libyans, Sudanese, Syrians, and Yemenis, who could become other targets of the deportation program, the WP reported.
Tricia McLaughlin, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, verified the documents' authenticity, but described them as "outdated." McLaughlin added that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has not made a "final" decision on temporary protected status for Haiti or Ukraine.
According to the draft documents reviewed by the newspaper, the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) will fund the voluntary resettlement program using funds allocated by Congress for charter flights or commercial airfare.
The State Department has acknowledged that it is working with the Department of Homeland Security to provide "travel support and financial incentives" to encourage migrants to leave the country voluntarily.
The Trump administration's proposal has been criticized, including by former government officials who called it inhumane and counter to long-held U.S. ideals, the WP reported.
According to the plan's opponents, the Trump administration is forcing asylum seekers to return to countries where they are "at risk of being killed." They also questioned whether the plan constitutes an abuse of foreign aid funds intended primarily to support refugees and their resettlement.
In late January, Washington suspended acceptance of applications from Ukrainians for asylum under the Uniting for Ukraine program. This program allowed for two years of asylum in the U.S., as well as the right to work, study, and have health insurance, among other benefits.
There are about 200,000 Ukrainian refugees in the U.S., according to the United Nations.
Kateryna Hodunova
(Updated: )
