US is preparing to deport at least 80 Ukrainians, - WP
The administration of US President Donald Trump is preparing to deport numerous Ukrainians who have received final deportation orders.
This is written by Washington Post, according to Censor.NET.
On Wednesday, the US Department of Justice announced that 41-year-old Roman Surovtsev could be deported to Ukraine as early as Monday. His lawyers said that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency plans to deport a "significant number" of Ukrainian citizens, while other detainees were told that they would be transported "via military flights to Ukraine or Poland."
Commentary by Stefanishyna
Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s ambassador reported that there are currently approximately 80 Ukrainians with final expulsion orders "due to violations of U.S. law." She added that the US authorities are taking into account the logistical difficulties due to the lack of direct flights to Ukraine.
"It should be noted that deportation is a widely used legal mechanism provided for by the immigration laws of most countries around the world. It 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," Stefanishyna said.
Reaction of lawyers
Surovtsev’s lawyers, Eric Lee and Chris Godshall-Bennett, said they are worried that Ukrainians and other former citizens of the Soviet Union may be deported without the possibility of appealing the decision.
"Ukraine is a war zone, is currently under martial law, and it is likely that any deportees will be forcibly drafted into the army and sent to the front where they face a high likelihood of death," they noted.
Reaction from the US Department of Homeland Security
A representative of the US Department of Homeland Security added that ICE does not confirm upcoming deportations for security reasons, but stressed that Surovtsev "received full due process" and all claims were considered.
If all 80 people are deported, it will be a record number in recent years. For comparison, 53 Ukrainians were deported from the US in fiscal year 2024.
Reaction of human rights defenders
Human rights defenders note that international treaties prohibit sending people to countries where they may be persecuted or tortured. They are concerned that the Trump administration is expanding the scope of these principles by attempting to deport people even to Ukraine, which is currently at war.
