U.S. issues deportation orders for 24 Ukrainians, but faces logistical barriers

This was stated in a response from the diplomatic mission to a query from the journalists.

“The embassy has not received information regarding any deportation cases of Ukrainian citizens from the United States in 2025,” the statement reads.

As of late May 2025, 24 Ukrainian nationals were being held in US deportation centers, and deportation orders had been issued against them.

However, the actual deportation process has not yet begun — “primarily due to organizational and logistical reasons related to the lack of international air travel to Ukraine.”

The Embassy encourages Ukrainian citizens detained in the US — or their relatives — to contact the nearest Ukrainian consulate for assistance.

Diplomats, according to the statement, are checking the conditions of detention, health status, access to medical care, and communication with family members. If violations are found, they contact “the competent U.S. authorities and the prison administration to resolve the issue” and provide return certificates for deportees who do not possess valid travel documents.

On May 28, The New York Times reported that a U.S. federal court temporarily barred the Trump administration from stripping legal protections from hundreds of thousands of migrants who entered the country under humanitarian programs during Joe Biden’s presidency — including Ukrainians who fled the war.

In March, Reuters reported that the US administration was planning to revoke temporary legal status for about 240,000 Ukrainians who arrived in the U.S. after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later denied the Reuters report, stating that no decision had yet been made.