Media: Trump administration prepares to deport about 80 Ukrainians

The Trump administration is preparing to deport a significant number of Ukrainians with final removal orders to their war-torn homeland.

As reported by Washington Post, on Wednesday 12 November, the US Department of Justice said in a court filing that the government plans to deport Roman Surovtsev, 41, to Ukraine as early as Monday 17 November. His lawyers said that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement appears to be trying to remove "a significant number" of Ukrainian citizens and that other detainees have been told they will be removed "via military flights to Ukraine or Poland on Monday".

Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine's Ambassador to the United States, said that the embassy is aware of "approximately 80 Ukrainian nationals" who have final deportation orders "due to violations of US law".

She added that US authorities are working on the logistical arrangements to carry out the removals, "taking into account the absence of direct international air service 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.

Surovtsev's lawyers, Eric Lee and Chris Godshall-Bennett, said that they are concerned that Ukrainians and other former citizens of the Soviet Union risk being removed without the opportunity to challenge their deportation.

"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," Surovtsev's lawyers said.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said that "due to operational security, ICE does not confirm future removal operations", adding that Surovtsev had "received full due process" and that "every single detainee received due process and had their claims heard".

If all 80 are deported, it would be the largest number in recent years. US immigration data show that in the 2024 financial year, 53 Ukrainians were deported from the United States.

Under international treaties, officials must not send people to countries where they risk persecution or torture. Even serious offenders must be protected from torture.

Human rights groups said that the Trump administration has been pushing the limits of these principles by seeking to remove people with criminal records to countries such as South Sudan, which is on the brink of civil war, and now to Ukraine.

In the summer, US President Donald Trump said that it is possible that Ukrainians who have fled the war may be granted permission to stay in the United States until the end of hostilities. "We have a lot of people who came in from Ukraine, and we're working with them," Trump said.

At the end of January, the US Department of Homeland Security ordered the suspension of several programmes that allowed refugees to temporarily settle in the United States, including a key initiative that allows Ukrainians to enter the country.