Disposing of the unwanted: how the US turns migration into geopolitical blackmail (continued)
IA “FACT” already wrote, that after Trump’s return to power, the United States set a course for mass deportation of unwanted foreigners — and not only home, but also to third countries where they have never lived. Under the cover of backroom deals, Washington pressures weaker states, blackmails with tariffs, buys silence with millions to turn the world into a dumping ground for its migrant problems. Violation of international law, disregard for the principle of non-refoulement, cynicism about countries at war — Trump’s new migration policy has become a global disposal of people.
This is not isolationism, but a tough transactional approach: either you accept “undesirables” for our money, or prepare for sanctions. Trump’s America is no longer cloaked in democratic values — it dictates the rules, where union means benefit to the US and the US alone.
Unwanted guests: why Ukrainians should be wary of Trump’s idea of ”deportation to a country at war”
The new role that the administration of the odious American president offered Ukraine should take on the role of a warehouse for deportees from the USA, not a partner. After all, we are talking about foreigners who are not citizens of Ukraine, have no connection to it, but whom Washington prefers to remove from the territory of the United States. Against the background of war, destruction and internal challenges, such a proposal sounds absurd and at the same time a political test.
After all, Ukraine does not have any national procedure that would allow to “accept” foreigners deported from third countries without their consent and without a request for asylum. Law “On the Legal Status of Foreigners and Stateless Persons” regulates entry, residence, asylum and deportation, but not mass acceptance of people with an uncertain status. To agree to such an operation, the government would either have to pass a separate law or grossly violate the existing one.
In addition, there are international obligations: in particular, the Geneva Convention on the Status of Refugees, which Ukraine signed, and which expressly prohibits the admission of persons in a manner contrary to the principle of voluntariness.
Even without this, Ukraine faces Russian agents, subversive groups, IPSO and information terror every day. In such conditions, letting in people for whom there are no guarantees is not just a risk, but a direct threat to national security.
We don’t know who these people are. We do not know where they were before their arrest. We do not have a mechanism to check their background in other countries. The omission of such a “passenger” with a dark past can turn into sabotage, as in the case of the detained saboteurs in Cherkasy or Odesa – only then they discovered, because they were already acting on the spot. And here we are offered to let in potentially dozens of people at once.
Today in Ukraine there is no a strong system of identification of migrants, distribution or long-term detention of foreigners without documents. Detention centers are overcrowded or destroyed, border guards operate under reduced funding, and courts are overwhelmed with war crimes cases.
In addition, because of the war, thousands of internally displaced persons still lack housing, access to medicine, and stable employment. To introduce foreign deportees into this system means sowing a new wave of social tension.
Public discussions on this issue have not yet begun. But the reaction of the expert environment is already emerging. Human rights defenders warn: this is a game on the verge of violating human rights. And military analysts believe that this can become a “hole in the border” that will be used by Russian intelligence or crime.
In social networks, the first mentions of Trump’s proposal caused a wave of indignation. Commentators write: “Ukraine is not a dumping ground for other people’s problems”, “Why should we accept people who are rejected even by countries where there is no war?” — and, most importantly, — “Why should we risk the lives of our citizens to satisfy someone’s whims in Washington?”
Ukraine already pays too high a price for its place among civilized countries. But being a part of the global exchange of deportees is no longer solidarity, but a blind capitulation to political cynicism, to blackmail, to promises of help, for which too expensive a bill is issued.
How participation in deportation schemes can damage a country’s reputation
So, the US is looking for where to go go up migrants who cannot be sent home. And Ukraine is among the potential “receiving countries”. Yes, the same Ukraine that is at war with Russia, fights for every square kilometer and asks the world for weapons, finances and diplomatic support. But if Kyiv agrees to Trump’s proposal, it may turn out to be a political crossbow. That’s why.
Ukraine in recent years forms the image of a state that fights not only for itself, but also for the international legal order. We initiated the creation of a special tribunal against Russia for the crime of aggression — and received the support of almost fifty countries. Lviv even adopted a declaration in support of this process.
And now let’s imagine that the same Ukraine suddenly agrees to accept dozens (or maybe even hundreds) of unfamiliar migrants who were sent from the USA not to their country, but to go somewhere. These are double standards that will certainly be used against us both in the Kremlin and in international courts.
According to the International Organization for Migration, there are currently more than 3.6 million internally displaced persons in Ukraine, and another 6.8 million Ukrainians are refugees abroad. This is the biggest humanitarian crisis in Europe for decades.
Add to that destroyed homes, overburdened hospitals, and a housing shortage — and you get a picture where each new resident without documents and status creates an additional burden.
Ukraine is conducting a powerful campaign on the international stage, accusing Russia of the forced deportation of Ukrainian children. This crime has already been recognized at the level of the International Criminal Court. We we demand return of children, compensation and punishment of the guilty.
And now let’s imagine the situation: Ukraine itself agrees to accept people who were forced to leave the United States without a choice. Even if it is being done under the guise of humanitarian slogans, legally it is the same forced deportation, only in a different direction.
It is obvious that for Ukraine, participation in the scheme for receiving deportees from the USA is not only a matter of logistics, but also of reputation, trust and principles. We are either a country fighting for the right to freedom, dignity and international law, or a logistical hub for other people’s problems.
Deportation to the maximum: why Trump mass deportations – and who is behind it
In public, the Trump team says: they say we are fighting illegal immigrants, protecting the borders to make America safer. But more attentive observers see something else — it’s about the electorate.
In April, Trump signed an executive order allowing voluntary deportation for a $1,000 bonus. Migrants are offered to leave the country on their own – with a free ticket and an “exit bonus”. They named it beautifully: Project Homecoming. But critics immediately started talking: this is not so much humanism as a way to demonstrate a “hard hand” against the background of the elections.
They are trying to bring legal changes under this policy. So, the White House is considering the idea of temporarily suspending the right you have a body — a guarantee that a person will not be imprisoned without trial. This would allow thousands of people to be deported without trial. Human rights defenders are in shock. And lawyers already are cooking lawsuits in federal courts. Because such a step directly contradicts the Constitution.
A powerful trio is responsible for the implementation of this policy: ICE — the immigration police, which catches, holds in temporary detention centers and takes them away, CBP — border guards, who introduce new drones, scanners, and thermal imagers. And finally, the entire system is coordinated by DHS, the Department of Homeland Security.
Recently media told the story of a man who was detained by ICE, hacking an electronic accounting system in the process. He disappeared and was sent to El Salvador without a lawyer. This is a visualization of how the system works in the “everything quickly and without unnecessary questions” mode.
…So Trump’s mass deportations aren’t just about fighting immigration. This is a show of force, a demonstration of “hard order” and a percussion instrument of the political game. The problem is that this game is played on human destinies — often without the right to defense and even without a court decision.
Tetyana Viktorova
