Trump administration planned to spend USD 250 million on "voluntary deportation" of Ukrainians, — Washington Post

The administration of US President Donald Trump was considering a plan to redirect a quarter of a billion dollars from the foreign aid budget to a program of "voluntary deportation" of foreigners, including up to 200,000 citizens of Ukraine.

The Washington Post has reported this, referring to documents reviewed by the newspaper's journalists.

According to sources, the initiative was developed after the statement of the US Department of Homeland Security on May 5, which proposed to provide migrants who agree to return to their countries of origin with USD 1,000 in assistance. The program provided for financing charter flights or the purchase of commercial airline tickets with funds allocated by Congress for international humanitarian support.

The documents mention not only Ukrainians, but also Haitians (over 500,000 people), Afghans, Palestinians, Syrians, Libyans, Sudanese and Yemenis – all of whom could fall under the scope of this initiative.

Despite the temporary protection granted to Ukrainians and Haitians during the presidency of Joe Biden, which allowed them to stay in the United States legally, Trump's new policy could change their situation. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, confirmed the authenticity of the documents, but noted that they have already lost their relevance and do not indicate a final decision.

As a reminder, the US Department of Homeland Security announced a new initiative: illegal immigrants who agree to leave the country on their own will receive a one-time payment of USD 1,000 and travel expenses.

The administration of the President of the United States of America Donald Trump earlier this year called on the Ukrainian government to accept an unspecified number of third-country nationals deported from the United States.