International human rights organizations are calling on Poland to end its cooperation with United States deportation operations that send Ukrainian nationals back to their war-torn homeland through Polish airports.
Amnesty International and Human Rights First issued a joint appeal Wednesday, claiming these deportation practices could violate international legal standards by forcing people into dangerous conditions.
The organizations report that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted at least two deportation operations through Poland in November 2025 and March 2026, sending more than 50 individuals back to Ukraine.
“Forcibly transferring Ukrainians into an active war zone, where missiles strike nationwide, shocks the conscience and violates international law,” stated Uzra Zeya, CEO and president of Human Rights First.
Zeya continued, “Poland, which has offered generous safe haven to so many Ukrainian refugees, should refuse to facilitate the Trump administration’s forced transfers that send Ukrainians back to life-threatening circumstances.”
The advocacy groups revealed they contacted Polish officials on April 17 expressing their concerns about flights departing Phoenix, Arizona and landing at Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport in southeastern Poland. After receiving no reply, they chose to make their correspondence public.
Polish Interior Ministry Spokesperson Karolina Galecka responded that her country has no formal deportation agreement with the United States, calling it “an internal matter between two countries — Ukraine and the United States.”
Galecka explained Poland serves merely as a transit location without direct involvement, with Border Guard personnel only conducting standard clearance procedures.
“Perhaps a Ukrainian citizen who is to be deported from the United States to Ukraine has no right to enter Poland. And here, a simple check is being carried out within the framework of statutory authority,” Galecka explained.
Bartosz Gorski, vice president of Rzeszow-Jasionka airport, refused to discuss the deportation flights and avoided questions about Polish government participation.
The US Department of Homeland Security has not yet responded to requests for comment.
Records show another flight carrying Ukrainian deportees arrived at Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport on April 30, though passenger numbers remain unknown.
President Donald Trump has intensified immigration enforcement since returning to office, with ICE expanding detention and removal operations. The administration defends these policies as necessary for border security and reducing illegal immigration, while critics argue they violate constitutional protections and civil liberties.
The human rights groups maintain that current conditions in Ukraine make deportations unsafe, noting that international law prohibits Poland from sending individuals to locations where they face threats to life or freedom.
“Polish authorities must investigate these incidents, establish the whereabouts of those affected and ensure they are protected from refoulement, treated with dignity, and provided with an effective remedy,” said Anna Błaszczak-Banasiak, director of Amnesty International Poland.
