The Trump administration has called on the Ukrainian government to accept an unspecified number of citizens of other countries deported from the United States — the relevant documents were handed over to Kyiv by a high-ranking American diplomat in late January, in the first days of Donald Trumpʼs presidency.
This is reported by The Washington Post, citing documents it has reviewed.
The documents did not mention the reaction of Ukrainian officials. The Ukrainian diplomat informed the US embassy that her government would respond as soon as it formulated a position.
The documents, which the publication reviewed, stated: a Ukrainian diplomat told American colleagues that while Ukraine has a "stable practice of receiving its citizens deported from the United States", the government in Kyiv is faced with the prevailing realities of "acute wartime circumstances".
Former American officials said that the dialogue between the United States and Ukraine regarding deportations was unusual and not part of any normal diplomatic correspondence.
Two Ukrainian officials told The Washington Post that the issue had never been discussed at the highest levels of government. One official said he was unaware of any “political demands” from the United States for Ukraine to accept deportees.
Ukraine did not accept any third-country nationals from the United States, the publication notes.
The US State Department noted that “continued engagement with foreign governments” is “critical to deterring illegal and mass migration and securing our borders”. When asked about the Ukraine-related proposal, the department referred reporters to the Department of Homeland Security. But they did not respond to requests for comment.
Proposals to other countries
Not only Ukraine, but also a number of other countries have received such offers, notes The Washington Post. For example, El Salvador, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Panama have agreed to accept deportees who are not their citizens.
El Salvadorʼs President Nayib Bukele was invited to the White House, and his government was paid $1 million to house deportees from the United States. Washington threatened other countries with tariffs, but that wasnʼt the only form of pressure. In the case of Panama, in particular, there were even threats to regain control of the Panama Canal.
Rwandan leaders have agreed to accept third-country nationals deported by the US. Notably, in the case of Rwanda, Washington also wants to resolve a military conflict — with the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Director for the Americas and Europe at the humanitarian organization Refugees International Yael Shaher said that the Trump administration is likely targeting governments that she says are seeking US favor and are under pressure.
The Trump administration has worked since its inauguration to expand the list of countries that will accept third-country nationals from the United States, regularly offering incentives or using the prospect of improved relations with Washington to achieve its goals.
According to Shaher, previous US administrations have worked with foreign nations to accept third-country nationals, "but the scale of this outreach is new".
"The unusual variety of arrangements, their situational nature, the clear principles of ʼservice for serviceʼ and the amount of money the administration allocates for them," she added.
The US paid Rwanda $100 000 to host an Iraqi deportee, and the country has agreed to accept 10 more people of various nationalities as part of a long-term program. Rwandan leaders likely want to show Washington their willingness to support America First policies.
While the number of third-country nationals who could be deported to Rwanda is currently small, there are signs that it could increase. In an interview with Rwandan television on Sunday, Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe said that negotiations were only in the “initial stages”.
The Trump administration has worked not only to get countries to accept deportees, but also to use them as logistical hubs to do so.
In March, documents revealed that the United States was trying to reach an agreement with Uzbekistan to use the country as a transit point for deporting people from Russia and Belarus, which have suspended direct flights between the United States and those countries due to tensions over the war in Ukraine.
The Uzbek representative did not immediately refuse. The American side suggested that he be interested in “concrete incentives” — for example, a conversation between the leaders of both countries or another high-level meeting. The Uzbek embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment.
Last week, Uzbekistan accepted more than 100 deportees from the United States — among them were not only Uzbeks, but also citizens of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan (19 and 20 people, respectively). The State Department emphasized that there were no Russians or Belarusians on board, and the Kazakhs and Kyrgyz used Tashkent as a transit point on their way home.
In documents released Tuesday, the US officials thanked Uzbekistan for organizing the special flight, saying the countryʼs government "is committed to remaining on our side".
One official wrote that the United States should tread carefully if it wants to convince Tashkent to take more people from third countries — it could be too difficult for local authorities to handle. He also warned that the program could be used by China or Russia to disrupt cooperation between the countries.
Other documents reviewed by the publication indicate that in the first weeks after Trump returned to Washington, the United States also discussed with the Georgian government the possibility of accepting people from third countries. Whether these negotiations were fruitful is unknown.
Trumpʼs immigration policy
On the first day of his presidency, Donald Trump signed an executive order prohibiting the issuance of American citizenship documents to children born in the United States to parents who are either illegally in the United States or in situations where the mother is temporarily in the United States, for example, on a visa, and the father is not a citizen.
And the next day, he signed an executive orderclosing the countryʼs southern border with Mexico to "illegal migrants" and ordering the deportation of those who entered the United States illegally from Mexico.
The United States subsequently suspended a number of programs that allowed immigrants to temporarily settle in the country. In particular, the Uniting for Ukraine program, which allowed Ukrainians to enter. The decision will block the entry of immigrants fleeing some of the most unstable and dangerous places in the world. In addition to Ukraine, the programs offered temporary protection to immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, and Venezuela.
And at the end of March, Trump stripped 530 000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans of their legal status, which allowed them to legally reside in the United States.
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine please follow us on X.