Ukraine was among the countries asked to accept U.S. deportees by the Trump administration, it was reported.
President Donald Trump's focus on stopping the migrant crisis at the southern border and rectifying the Biden administration's refusal to adequately vet people entering the country has led to aliens with criminal backgrounds being deported.
Besides coming to agreements with several Latin American countries to accept non-citizens, the administration has sought deals with other nations.
Earlier this year, Ukraine was among the countries asked to accept an unspecified number of U.S. deportees, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.
Documents reviewed by the newspaper did not indicate how Ukrainian government officials responded to the late-January proposal, relayed by a senior U.S. diplomat. Trump took office on Jan. 20.
The U.S. Embassy was informed by a Ukrainian diplomat that an official response would come only after a position on the issue had been decided, the Post said.
Two Ukrainian officials told the newspaper that the issue never reached the highest level of their government. Also, one of the officials said he was unaware of any "political demands" to influence Ukraine to accept deportees.
Unlike most other countries contacted by the U.S., Ukraine has been at war since unprovoked Russia attacked in February 2022.
Ukraine has not accepted any third-party nationals from the U.S., the Post added.
The State Department told the newspaper in a statement that "ongoing engagement with foreign governments" was "vital to deterring illegal and mass migration and securing our borders." Questions concerning the Ukraine proposal were referred to the Department of Homeland Security.
CBS News reported Monday that the administration has begun diplomatic talks with several nations asking them to accept deported migrants who are not citizens of their countries — similar to the deal the U.S. made with El Salvador.
Multiple South and Central American countries have reached agreements with the U.S. to accept and detain deportees who are not citizens of their countries, including El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Panama.
Rwanda's foreign affairs minister said his country talked with the Trump administration to accept illegal immigrants the U.S. tried to deport to countries that refused repatriations.
The discussions between the U.S. and Rwanda coincided with an effort by the Trump administration to broker a peace deal to a recent conflict between Rwanda and Congo.
Reuters reported Tuesday that the U.S. may deport migrants to Libya for the first time this week.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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