According to The Washington Post, US President Donald Trump's team plans to spend up to $250 million allocated for foreign aid to finance the voluntary return of refugees from various countries home, in particular to Ukraine.
Points of attention
- The White House's new plan is considered unusual as it targets people who have fled some of the most dangerous places in the world, such as Ukraine and Haiti.
- The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is set to announce the implementation of the voluntary return program on May 5, offering financial assistance to migrants willing to return home.
What the Trump administration is up to
The White House's new plan aims to use up to $250 million that was supposed to be directed towards foreign aid.
However, they intend to spend it on the process of returning migrants from Ukraine and Haiti who fled to the United States due to the situation in their homeland.
What is important to understand is that former US President Joe Biden's team granted Ukrainians and Haitians temporary protection (TPS), which allows them to remain in the US if returning home is unsafe.
According to journalists, as of today, more than 200,000 Ukrainians and 500,000 Haitians may fall under the voluntary return program.
This previously unreported proposal was developed in advance of a May 5 announcement by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that migrants who voluntarily agree to return to their countries would be able to receive $1,000 from the U.S. government.
Experts point out that the new White House plan is unusual because it covers people who have fled some of the most dangerous places in the world.
