Trump administration may deport around 80 Ukrainians over 'violations of US law,' envoy says
Kyiv is aware of approximately 80 Ukrainian nationals who have final orders of removal by U.S. authorities due to "violations of U.S. law," Ukrainian Ambassador Olha Stefanishyna told the Washington Post in comments reported on Nov. 14.
If carried out, the deportation would mark the highest number of Ukrainians removed from the U.S. in recent years, underscoring the Trump administration's tightening immigration policies.
As one example, the Washington Post reported on plans to deport a 41-year-old Roman Surovtsev, a move his attorneys say puts him at risk of mobilization and death in war-torn Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials who spoke with the outlet have not criticized the planned deportations, with an undisclosed presidential advisor commenting, "We'll find good use for them."
Kyiv has been seeking to ramp up mobilization as it grapples with manpower shortages at the front, with the full-scale war with Russia ongoing for almost four years.
Stefanishyna noted that deportation "is a routine procedure applied to all foreign nationals and stateless persons who violate the terms of their stay in the United States, regardless of their nationality."
U.S. authorities are looking into the logistics of the deportations, with military flights to Ukraine or charter flights to Poland reportedly under consideration.
Trump's tightening immigration policies have also raised concerns over the fate of thousands of Ukrainian refugees who fled to the U.S. after the outbreak of the full-scale war with Russia.
Roughly 250,000 Ukrainians came to the U.S. under the Biden administration-era program that Trump let lapse earlier this year. Many of them now face uncertainties about their legal status and right to employment.
Over 6 million Ukrainians fled their home country after the start of the all-out war in 2022.
