USA wants to pay $1,000 to migrants from Ukraine to 'self-deport' - media

The administration of US President Donald Trump is planning to use US foreign aid accounts to return migrants to conflict-torn countries, including Ukraine, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

"The Trump administration has developed plans to spend up to $250 million in foreign aid to fund the evacuation and return of people from active conflict zones, including 700,000 Ukrainian and Haitian migrants who have fled to the United States amid extreme violence at home," the report said.

According to the publication, the previously unreported proposal was in the works even before the US Department of Homeland Security announced on May 5 that immigrants who voluntarily "self-deport" to their countries would be eligible for a $1,000 payment from the US government.

While previous administrations have supported using taxpayer funds to voluntarily repatriate migrants, the proposal under Trump is unusual because it includes people who have fled some of the most dangerous parts of the world and appears to be aimed at bypassing the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a UN agency that typically helps return migrants to their homes.

The measure also coincides with the administration’s polarizing push to sharply cut foreign aid, including by eliminating the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and ending 80 percent of its programs, including those in Ukraine, Haiti, and other troubled countries. In addition to Ukrainians and Haitians, the draft documents also mention Afghans, Palestinians, Libyans, Sudanese, Syrians, and Yemenis, suggesting they could also be targeted for voluntary deportation. The IOM does not support returning people to any of those countries, the draft documents say.