Overview
May 13 - Two international rights organizations have publicly asked Poland to discontinue cooperating with U.S. deportation flights that pass through Polish territory en route to Ukraine, warning the practice could breach international legal obligations. In a joint statement, Amnesty International and Human Rights First said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement - ICE - conducted at least two such operations that transited Poland in November 2025 and March 2026 and resulted in the deportation of more than 50 people to Ukraine.
Claims and timeline
The groups said they first raised the matter with Polish authorities in a letter dated April 17 and, having received no response, released the correspondence publicly. According to Amnesty and Human Rights First, the flights originated in Phoenix, Arizona and landed at Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport in southeastern Poland. The organizations also reported that a further flight carrying Ukrainians touched down at Rzeszów-Jasionka on April 30, while the number of passengers on that arrival was unknown.
Humanitarian and legal concerns
Both groups argued that returning Ukrainians to their country at a time when the safety of civilians is under severe strain raises legal and moral questions. Uzra Zeya, chief executive officer and president of Human Rights First, said forcibly transferring people into an active war zone where missiles strike nationwide shocks the conscience and violates international law. Amnesty International Poland's director, Anna Błaszczak-Banasiak, urged Polish authorities to investigate the incidents, determine the whereabouts of those affected, and ensure protection from refoulement, dignified treatment, and access to effective remedies.
Poland's response
A spokesperson for the Polish Interior Ministry, Karolina Galecka, told authorities were treating the flights as an internal matter between Ukraine and the United States and said Poland has no agreement or arrangement with the United States concerning deportations. Galecka described Poland's role as that of a transit point and said its Border Guard was only conducting clearance procedures within statutory authority, including checks on whether a Ukrainian citizen subject to deportation from the United States had the right to enter Poland.
Bartosz Gorski, vice president of Rzeszów-Jasionka airport, declined to comment on the deportation flights and did not answer questions about Polish government involvement. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment, according to the statement from the rights groups.
Policy context cited by rights groups
The statement from Amnesty and Human Rights First situates the flights within a broader shift in U.S. immigration enforcement since President Donald Trump took office last year. Rights organizations have criticized the expanded ICE enforcement, including increased detentions and deportations, arguing the approach undermines due process and free speech. The U.S. administration has defended its policies as measures to curb illegal immigration and enhance security.
What the rights groups ask of Poland
Amnesty and Human Rights First called on Polish authorities to stop facilitating deportation flights that would return people to life-threatening circumstances and to carry out investigations into the reported transfers. They said Poland must not send people to places where their lives or freedom could be at risk and that those affected must be protected from refoulement and given access to effective remedies.
Note on available information
The rights groups stated specific operational details about the flights, including departure and arrival points and the months in which operations occurred, and said they had sought answers from Polish officials. Where the number of passengers on a reported April 30 arrival is unknown, the organizations have indicated that information remains unspecified.