During the second presidential term Donald Trump, the United States tightened measures against all forms of immigration and began a campaign of mass deportation.
While the Trump administration claims it is primarily focused on serious criminals it calls "the worst of the worst," many of those detained actually committed only minor offenses or have no criminal record at all, CNN writes.
This policy has led to life uncertainty for hundreds of thousands of people who are now at risk of deportations from the USA. There is an additional risk for Ukrainian men of military age.
From Pittsburgh parvo to the Eastern Front
Volodymyr Dudnik was arrested by Ukrainian military officers almost immediately after he crossed the border into Ukraine, after being deported from the United States. He was sent directly to the military training center.
"When I was on the plane to Ukraine, I knew what was waiting for me. But I was hoping that maybe they would at least let me go back home first. Everything happened even faster than I thought. I never got home, I haven't seen my parents yet," the 28-year-old told CNN.
Dudnik spent 51 days in a military camp, followed by several weeks in drone operator training. Now he is fighting at the front in eastern Ukraine, where his fellow soldiers have given him a new military nickname - "America".
Photo: AP / Roman ChopUkrainian soldier with an anti-tank missile.
Dudnik was arrested last August by ICE officers outside a courthouse in Pittsburgh, where he was scheduled to appear for a hearing on charges of driving without a license and car insurance.
Dudnik was one of 45 Ukrainian men deported from the US by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on November 17, along with five women.
No exceptions.
After more than four years of war, the Ukrainian army is in a difficult situation due to a serious lack of manpower. According to Ukrainian law, all men between the ages of 25 and 60 are subject to conscription.
According to the data of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, about two million soldiers are currently "wanted" for avoiding conscription, and about 200.000 soldiers are absent without an official leave.
Many of these men have either fled the country or are trying to hide from conscription officers who are constantly looking for draft dodgers.
A plane full of able-bodied men, including Dudnik, being deported from the US is readily available for recruiting officers.
Photo: Aaron Nesheim/Sahan Journal/Catchlight Local via APUS Immigration Service
The group was flown to Poland and then flown to the Ukrainian border by US officials, who then handed them over to Polish officials who escorted them across the border. One of the people on the plane said they were handcuffed until they crossed the border.
The State Border Service of Ukraine told CNN that of the 45 men, 24 were "wanted" for conscription and were handed over to police officers who then took them to a military conscription office.
Biden lets Ukrainians into the US
Ukrainian couple Darin and Zhenya said they entered the US legally in 2022 as part of the United for Ukraine (U4U) program.
This program, from the era when Joe Biden was the president of the USA, allowed American citizens to privately sponsor Ukrainians who fled their country because of the war and wanted to come to the USA. They received two years of humanitarian leave, which allowed them to live and work in the US.
When Darina and Zhenya applied for parole again in 2024, Darina got it almost immediately. But her husband didn't. Instead, his request remained "pending" for more than a year - until he was arrested by ICE in November.
Like Darina and Zhenya, Smovz entered the USA as part of the U4U program. He was detained and deported by ICE after being charged with rape and sexual assault — though all charges against him were dropped shortly before his deportation, court documents show.
An estimated 280.000 Ukrainians entered the U.S. under the U4U program before it was suspended in January 2025, along with all other humanitarian parole programs, when Trump took office.
Trump regime
Officially, the U4U program has not been terminated under the Trump administration. Instead, as part of Trump's crackdown on immigration, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a DHS agency, announced it would stop accepting new applications and said individual renewal applications would only be approved for "continuing urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit."
The Trump administration also instituted a new $1.000 fee to be paid upon re-parole approval, in addition to the nearly $600 application fee.
Photo: Kenny Holston/The New York Times via APDonald Trump: Sometimes a warrior, sometimes a peacemaker
On paper, protections for Ukrainians are still in place, but currently ICE has broad powers to arrest anyone.
The Trump administration has gone even further when it comes to parole programs for people from countries like Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, seeking to end them entirely. Last year, the Supreme Court sided with the administration on this issue in an urgent ruling.
Source: CNN
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