Media: Trump administration plans to spend US$250 million on refugee repatriation, including Ukrainians
The administration of US President Donald Trump plans to use up to US$250 million allocated for foreign aid to fund the voluntary repatriation of refugees from various countries, particularly Ukraine, back to their home countries.
The Washington Post (WP) reported that the Trump administration has developed plans to use up to US$250 million, originally intended for foreign aid, to finance the repatriation of migrants, including Ukrainians and Haitians, who fled to the US due to instability in their home countries.
The administration of former US President Joe Biden granted Ukrainians and Haitians Temporary Protected Status (TPS), allowing them to stay in the US if returning home is unsafe. The documents reviewed by the WP indicate that over 200,000 Ukrainians and 500,000 Haitians may be eligible for the voluntary repatriation process.
This previously unreported proposal had been developed before the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on 5 May that migrants who voluntarily agree to return to their countries could receive US$1,000 from the US government.
The WP noted that while previous US administrations also supported voluntary migrant repatriation, the Trump administration's plan is unusual as it targets people who fled some of the world's most dangerous places and appears intended to bypass the International Organization for Migration (IOM) – a UN agency that typically handles migrant returns.
The plan coincides with attempts by the administration to reduce foreign aid, including proposals to dismantle the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and cut 80% of its programmes, particularly those in Ukraine, Haiti and other countries.
In addition to Ukrainians and Haitians, the documents mention Afghans, Palestinians, Libyans, Sudanese, Syrians and Yemenis – all potentially targeted by the voluntary repatriation programme. The documents state that the IOM does not support returns to any of these countries.
The documents were marked "predecisional" and a DHS spokesperson called them "outdated", dating from late April to early May. However, DHS and the State Department signed an agreement last week outlining the same procedure and amount – US$250 million – though it does not specify particular nationalities.
An informed source said Afghans might be the first group to be targeted in the programme.
Critics of the plan, particularly former officials, have called it inhumane and contrary to traditional American values. They also question whether such use of funds is lawful, given that they were intended to assist refugees.
In January, after Trump took office, US Department of Homeland Security officials ordered the suspension of several programmes that allowed migrants to temporarily settle in the US, including a key initiative that allowed Ukrainians to enter the country.
In early April, some Ukrainians in the US under a humanitarian programme received erroneous emails stating their status had been revoked.