From detention to the frontlines: Ukrainians in US face deportation
7 Min Read
The US plans to deport dozens of Ukrainians despite the ongoing war, raising legal and human rights concerns over forced returns and due process.
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Rescuers work on the scene of a building damaged after a Russian attack in Kiev, Ukraine, on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025 (AP)
The Trump administration is preparing to deport a significant number of Ukrainians with final removal orders back to their homeland, as the government moves to ramp up deportations and Ukraine works to strengthen its relationship with Washington.
In a court filing on Wednesday, the US Department of Justice revealed plans to deport 41-year-old Roman Sorovtsev to Ukraine on Monday. His attorneys say it appears US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) may be attempting to deport a "large number" of Ukrainian citizens, with other detainees also being told they would be removed on "military charter flights to Ukraine or Poland on Monday."
Oksana Markarova, Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, stated that the embassy is aware of "approximately 80 Ukrainian citizens" with final deportation orders "due to their violations of US law." She added that US authorities are working on the logistical arrangements for the deportations, "taking into account the absence of direct international flights to Ukraine."
Ukraine has a history of not fully cooperating with US efforts to deport certain migrants, like Sorovtsev, who was born during the Soviet era and whose citizenship was unclear for decades. However, this situation may be changing as Ukraine struggles to repel Russian attacks, conscript soldiers, and maintain US government support.
An advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter, said, "The United States can deport whoever it wants. We will find good use for them."
Ukraine's conscriptions marred with intimidation, abductions
This comes although Ukraine’s mobilization drive has sparked a growing scandal amid allegations of abuse and corruption. Thousands of complaints have been filed against conscription patrols accused of using force, while draft dodging via bribes has become widespread. President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted the system was “rotten” and claimed he would pursue reforms.
One of the most high-profile cases involved the resignation of Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin, after revelations that prosecutors in Khmelnytskyi had secured fake disabilities to avoid service. The scandal deepened public distrust, as many saw draft laws applied unequally between elites and ordinary citizens.
Mobilization officers have faced backlash from the public, with men reporting being seized in the streets. Rights groups have raised alarms over the blurred line between enlistment and coercion, as Ukraine’s military struggles to replenish ranks amid war and mounting legal scrutiny.
Read more: Ukrainian conscription crisis sees 100,000 youth flee in 2 months
Ukrainians are being deported without chance to challenge it
Sorovtsev's lawyers, Eric Lee and Chris Godshall Bennett, expressed concern that Ukrainians and other former Soviet citizens are at risk of being deported without being given a chance to challenge their removal. They stated that in some cases, detainees appear to be denied the right to express their fear of deportation before being removed, which they claim is illegal.
"Ukraine is a war zone, currently under martial law, and any deportee is likely to be conscripted into the army and sent to the front lines where they face the risk of death," they added.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in a statement that due to "operational security", ICE does not confirm future removal operations, but affirmed that Sorovtsev "received full due process" and that "every detainee receives due process and their claims are heard."
The Washington Post spoke with families of at least two detainees who were told they would be sent to Ukraine as early as Monday.
Soviet Union refugee deported despite being in the US since 1990
Andrey Bernik said in an interview that ICE officials recently informed him he would be flown to Poland on a charter plane, then handed over to Ukrainian authorities who would transport him to Ukraine. Bernik came to the US at age 13 in 1990 as a Jewish refugee from the Soviet Union. He said he once held a green card and attempted to get a Ukrainian passport, but never obtained one.
Bernik was convicted of second-degree murder over a decade ago. According to the office of California Governor Gavin Newsom, Bernik and family members were confronting a business partner; as Bernik was leaving, he fired a shot from his car that "accidentally struck and killed his relative."
"I deserve deportation, but not to a war zone—not where the war is happening now," Bernik said. "How can they deport me to a place where there is a war?"
If all 80 individuals are deported, it would be the highest number in recent years. In fiscal year 2024, 53 Ukrainians were deported from the United States, according to ICE data.
Under international treaties, officials are not supposed to send people to countries where they may face persecution or torture, even if they are criminals; however, advocates say the Trump administration is pushing the boundaries of these principles by attempting to send people with criminal records to countries like South Sudan, which was on the brink of civil war, and now Ukraine.
Trump admin uses criminal records to deport Ukrainians
Sorovtsev, born before Ukraine's independence, arrived legally in the US with his family at age four, settled in California, and obtained permanent residency. At 18, he committed a robbery. At 19, he and his friends carried out an armed motorcycle robbery. He served over eleven years in a California state prison.
An immigration judge ordered his deportation in 2014. At the time, Ukrainian officials said they could not confirm his citizenship. Russia also refused to accept him. ICE was then forced to release Sorovtsev in the United States because a 2001 Supreme Court ruling stated that detainees cannot be held indefinitely.
He checked in with ICE as required. In August, officers re-arrested him during President Donald Trump's campaign for mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, including those previously released.
He then filed a federal lawsuit that month in Texas seeking his release, arguing he was unlikely to be deported to Ukraine. He also convinced California prosecutors to have a court overturn his auto theft conviction in September, hoping to restore his legal status.
Sorovstev argued he had pleaded guilty without realizing it could lead to deportation, a practice the Supreme Court has since ruled unconstitutional, and asked an immigration court to reopen his case.
His lawyers argued their client deserved a new interview with an asylum officer to determine if he has a reasonable fear of deportation to Ukraine, given the significant changes over the past decade.
According to his lawyers, ICE officers woke Sorovtsev at 5:30 am on Thursday at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, and told him to pack his belongings. He again expressed his fear of being deported to Ukraine or a third country, but the officers refused to grant him a "reasonable fear interview," according to court records. His lawyers said he was placed on a bus and then returned to the detention center after about 90 minutes.
His lawyers wrote in a court filing, "He has repeatedly informed his ICE guards of his fear of deportation to Ukraine, a country currently at war and under invasion." They added, "Not only would Mr. Sorovtsev face a significant likelihood of being killed by the Russian military, but as a Russian-speaking foreigner, he also faces a significant likelihood of persecution by Ukrainian authorities."
