Press Release
Published on May 13, 2026
Amnesty International and Human Rights First today published a joint letter to Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior urging an end to the Polish government’s cooperation with the US administration’s unlawful mass deportations of immigrant communities.
According to information gathered by Amnesty International and Human Rights First, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) passed through Polish airports and travelled through Polish territory during at least two operations to remove more than 50 people to Ukraine – an active war zone – in November 2025 and March 2026.
Since the letter was sent, a further ICE flight with an unknown number of people on board has landed at Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport in Poland on 30 April 2026, marking another transfer of Ukrainians via Poland.
The organizations call on the Polish Government to stop cooperating with the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant practices and violations of international law, and for reparations to be made to the individuals forcibly removed.
“Poland has stood by Ukraine’s side since Russia began its war of aggression, providing temporary protection to nearly 1 million Ukrainian refugees. Poland should play no role in these unlawful operations that rip families apart, divide communities and put people’s lives at risk” said Anna Błaszczak-Banasiak Director of Amnesty International Poland.
“Forcibly transferring Ukrainians into an active war zone, where missiles strike nationwide, shocks the conscience and violates international law. Human Rights First staff who have travelled to Ukraine’s frontlines dozens of times since February 2022 can attest that no area is safe. Poland, which has offered generous safe haven to so many Ukrainian refugees, should refuse to facilitate the Trump administration’s cruel forced transfers that send Ukrainians back to life-threatening circumstances,” said Uzra Zeya, CEO and President of Human Rights First.
In the letter, which was sent to the Polish authorities on 17 April 2026, Amnesty International and Human Rights First detail their concerns about two operations from Phoenix, Arizona to Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport. As the Polish authorities have not responded to the letter, the organizations have decided to publish it.
On 17 March 2026, according to data gathered by Human Rights First’s ICE Flight Monitor, two ICE flights landed at the Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport carrying a number of Ukrainian nationals whose whereabouts are currently unknown.
On 18 November 2025, another ICE flight landed in Poland. The 50 people on board were then taken to the Shehyni-Medyka border checkpoint and into Ukraine. According to media reports, US officials flew the group to Poland and transported them to the Ukrainian border, while Polish officials escorted them across the border.
Further reports state that some of those on board went to the United States under the Uniting for Ukraine humanitarian programme – established in 2022 under the Biden Administration to provide a pathway for Ukrainian citizens to stay in the United States– and had pending applications to renew their stay. As a result of their removal, they were separated from family members who remain in the United States.
In a separate incident on 18 August 2025, ICE announced the removal of an undisclosed number of Ukrainian nationals back to Ukraine, posting two photos on X. This post has now been deleted.
Under international law, Poland has an obligation not to expel or return people to places where their lives or freedom could be at risk. Amnesty International and Human Rights First have repeatedly warned that conditions in Ukraine are not currently safe for returns, though large numbers of Ukrainians will hopefully be able to return safely to their country in the future once the situation on the ground changes. Due to the ongoing armed conflict, the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, also calls on states not to forcibly return people to Ukraine.
Amnesty International and Human Rights First are calling on the Polish government to stand for human rights, justice, and the dignity of all people. The government must deny the Trump administration’s cruel and inhumane mass removal campaign any form of facilitation, cooperation or tolerance.
“The Polish authorities must investigate these incidents, ascertain the whereabouts of individuals involved and ensure they are protected from refoulement, treated with dignity, and provided with an effective remedy,” said Anna Błaszczak-Banasiak.
Background
Since 20 January 2025, the Trump administration has launched a widescale attack on migrants’ rights and ability to remain in the United States by ending humanitarian parole programmes and Temporary Protected Status for many nationalities, putting more than 1.5 million people at risk of deportation.
The Trump Administration has also targeted the Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) humanitarian parole programme – which granted 280,000 Ukrainians entry to the United States and is currently indefinitely suspended for new applications. Ukrainians have faced processing issues and delays on U4U related applications. Ukrainians are increasingly in legal limbo without options for status amid rising uncertainty.
Amnesty International and Human Rights First also recently raised concerns about the use of Shannon Airport in Ireland as a refuelling stopover for unlawful removal flights by ICE.
Note to editors
ICE Flight Monitor is a data-driven initiative that systematically tracks and documents U.S. immigration enforcement flights based at Human Rights First – see ICE Flight Monitor – Human Rights First. Human Rights First is a U.S.-based, non-partisan non-profit, organization that advocates for human rights globally and for U.S. compliance with its domestic and international human rights commitments.
