One of the men recounted that he didn’t even make it home
In November, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported 50 Ukrainians (45 men and 5 women) from the country. Most of the men were immediately sent to the military recruitment center and drafted into the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing CNN.
Also read: Mass detentions of illegal immigrants in Poland: among them are Ukrainians
After their deportation, the Ukrainians were transferred to Poland and then, under the supervision of the relevant authorities, crossed the Ukrainian border. Among those who were welcomed home was Volodymyr Dudnyk, who was sent to a military training center almost immediately after crossing the border.
“When I was on the plane to Ukraine, I understood what awaited me. But I hoped that maybe I would be allowed to return home. Everything happened even faster than I thought. I didn’t make it home; I haven’t seen my parents yet,” he said.
Dudnyk spent 51 days in a training camp, after which he studied for several weeks to become a drone operator. He is now fighting on the front lines in eastern Ukraine and has the call sign “America.”
Most of the men were declared wanted
The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine informed CNN that of the 45 men, 24 were declared wanted and handed over to the police, who then took them to the military recruitment center. The “wanted” status applies to those who have not updated their information or violated mobilization rules.
The publication, citing data from the Ministry of Defense, notes that about 2 million people are currently wanted for evading mobilization.
Tightening of U.S. immigration policy
During Donald Trump’s presidency, the U.S. strengthened its immigration policy and launched a large-scale deportation campaign. Although authorities stated that the main focus was on the “worst offenders,” many deported individuals have minimal violations or no criminal history at all.
This creates deep uncertainty in the lives of hundreds of thousands of people who are at risk of deportation. A particular risk for Ukrainian men of conscription age is that deportation from the country could send them directly to the front lines.
CNN notes that 280,000 Ukrainians entered the U.S. under the U4U program before it was suspended in January 2025, along with all other categorical humanitarian programs following Trump’s inauguration.
Officially, the U4U program was not canceled during his administration. However, as part of the tightening of immigration measures, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it would stop accepting new applications.
USCIS also stated that individual requests for extensions would only be granted in cases of “urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.”
Recall that earlier Western media reported that the U.S. intends to deport about 80 Ukrainians back to their homeland. This concerns citizens who have broken the law.
At that time, Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S., Olha Stefanishyna, stated that American authorities are currently working out the logistical details of these deportations, particularly considering the lack of direct air connections between the U.S. and Ukraine.
