PHOTOFAKE: The Trump administration has begun deporting Ukrainians from the U.S.

Claims are being circulated online alleging that Ukrainians make up a significant portion of illegal migrants in the U.S. and that mass deportations have already begun under a new migration policy of the Trump administration. The posts cite Ukrainian media outlets UNIAN and 112.ua.

However, this is false. The screenshots of articles allegedly from UNIAN and 112.ua were edited — these outlets did not publish such reports. Ukrainians legally residing in the U.S. are protected until at least October 2026.

We checked the websites of UNIAN and 112.ua and confirmed that these media outlets did not publish such stories. Additionally, there are no credible reports in Ukrainian or Western media about mass deportations of Ukrainians.

The screenshot attributed to UNIAN shows a publication date of January 22, 2025, and credits journalist Marta Hychko. However, between January 21 and 24, she did not publish any articles for UNIAN. An archive check via the Wayback Machine confirms that no relevant articles were published on January 22.

Propagandists took a genuine article by Marta Hychko from January 21 titled “Trump Could Really End the War in Six Months” and edited it — changing the headline and date.

The same manipulation was done with a 112.ua article. A report about Trump pardoning convicts, published on January 21, was also edited.

The claim that Ukrainians constitute a large share of undocumented migrants in the U.S. lacks any evidence. As of January 2022, the largest groups of illegal migrants were from Mexico (48%), El Salvador (7%), Guatemala (7%), and others — Ukraine was not among them.

Moreover, after Russia’s full-scale invasion started, the U.S. launched the Uniting for Ukraine program, which allows Ukrainians to enter the U.S. legally. In April 2022, Ukrainians were granted Temporary Protected Status, which was extended on January 10, 2025, through October 2026. This means Ukrainians are unlikely to be part of the illegal migrant population, as they were provided with a legal path for residence. In such conditions, an illegal stay simply makes no sense.

As with other migrants, the Trump administration has paused new applications for humanitarian entry through Uniting for Ukraine. However, this decision does not affect those already in the U.S. — their temporary protection remains valid. The change applies only to new applicants, meaning those already in the U.S. continue to live legally in the country.

An article by The New York Times analyzed which migrant groups are most vulnerable to deportation. The authors noted that the Trump administration has limited authority to deport Ukrainians. The most at-risk groups are migrants without legal status and those with criminal records.