The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of the United States issued a statement on Tuesday, July 21st, announcing that its subsidiary agency, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has requested Alabama to transfer a Ukrainian illegal immigrant to ICE for deportation upon completion of his sentence.
According to local media reports, on May 6, 2025, Ukrainian illegal immigrant Andrii Dmyterko was driving a semi-truck at an intersection in Thomasville, Alabama, when he caused a collision with multiple vehicles due to being distracted by his phone, resulting in the death of two individuals and the rescue of a third victim from the wreckage.
Based on court and media reports, Dmyterko pleaded guilty on July 9th and was sentenced. The court accepted his plea agreement and found him guilty of two counts of criminally negligent homicide, each with a sentence of 1 year to be served consecutively, totaling 2 years, with credit for the 1 year and 65 days he has already been in custody. He is currently serving his sentence at Clarke County Jail.
The DHS announcement indicates that Dmyterko entered the U.S. in 2024 through Biden administration’s Ukrainian humanitarian parole program and applied for a work visa the same year, which was approved by the government. The announcement also states that Dmyterko currently has “no legal status.”
Assistant Secretary of DHS, Lauren Bis, stated, “ICE has issued a detention order for him, requesting Alabama officials to cooperate with us and transfer him to us upon his release for deportation.”