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Update: U.S. Will Welcome Up to 100,000 Ukrainian Refugees
Source: New York Times
Bowing to domestic and international pressure, the United States announced on Thursday that it would accept up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees into the country and would donate $1 billion to help European countries handle a surge of migrants fleeing Russia’s invasion. The announcement comes as countries facing an exodus of some three million refugees have sought assistance from the United States, which has been engaged in its own struggle to absorb thousands of refugees from the war in Afghanistan.
U.S. officials have repeatedly said they expected that most Ukrainian refugees would want to stay in Europe, close to their homes and male family members, who have been prohibited from leaving the country. But millions more are internally displaced and may have to find safe haven in other countries. In an announcement, White House officials said that the refugees would be received through “the full range of legal pathways,” including the U.S. refugee admissions program, which leads to permanent residence, or a green card.
Others may be granted visas or “humanitarian parole,” a form of entry offered to people requiring swift temporary safe haven in wartime and other emergency situations. White House officials said the administration’s initiative would focus on Ukrainians who have family members in the United States. The announcement by President Biden would significantly increase the U.S. role in the unfolding humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, which has displaced millions of people in a matter of weeks amid incessant bombardment of urban areas.
Last September, Mr. Biden capped total refugee admissions from around the world at 125,000 for the fiscal year ending in September. But the administration has not taken in anywhere close to that number, and has already worked around the cap to bring some 80,000 Afghan refugees into the United States after the end of the war there.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/24/us/ukrainian-refugees-biden.html
Original article and headline -
The Biden administration says the U.S. will accept 100,000 refugees from Ukraine.
BRUSSELS -- The United States will accept 100,000 Ukrainian refugees into the country and will donate $1 billion to help European countries deal with the surge of migrants fleeing Russia's invasion, a person familiar with the decision said on Thursday. More than three million Ukrainians have poured into Poland and other countries as the forces of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia have bombarded civilian areas in cities across Ukraine.
United States officials have repeatedly said they expect that most Ukrainian refugees will want to stay in Europe, close to their homes. But President Biden, who is in Brussels for three back-to-back summits with allies, is expected to announce that the administration will accept 100,000 refugees who want to come to America.
It is not clear what legal path those refugees will take. Officials said some might be welcomed under the United States' formal refugee program. Others may be given visas or be granted "humanitarian parole," a form of entry often given to people fleeing violence or war in countries around the world.
A senior administration official said special efforts were being made to expand and develop new programs with a focus on welcoming Ukrainians who have family members in the United States. The announcement by Mr. Biden would significantly increase the United States' role in dealing with the unfolding humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, which has displaced millions of people in a matter of weeks.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/03/24/world/russia-ukraine-war/the-biden-administration-says-the-us-will-accept-100000-refugees-from-ukraine
BRUSSELS -- The United States will accept 100,000 Ukrainian refugees into the country and will donate $1 billion to help European countries deal with the surge of migrants fleeing Russia's invasion, a person familiar with the decision said on Thursday. More than three million Ukrainians have poured into Poland and other countries as the forces of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia have bombarded civilian areas in cities across Ukraine.
United States officials have repeatedly said they expect that most Ukrainian refugees will want to stay in Europe, close to their homes. But President Biden, who is in Brussels for three back-to-back summits with allies, is expected to announce that the administration will accept 100,000 refugees who want to come to America.
It is not clear what legal path those refugees will take. Officials said some might be welcomed under the United States' formal refugee program. Others may be given visas or be granted "humanitarian parole," a form of entry often given to people fleeing violence or war in countries around the world.
A senior administration official said special efforts were being made to expand and develop new programs with a focus on welcoming Ukrainians who have family members in the United States. The announcement by Mr. Biden would significantly increase the United States' role in dealing with the unfolding humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, which has displaced millions of people in a matter of weeks.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/03/24/world/russia-ukraine-war/the-biden-administration-says-the-us-will-accept-100000-refugees-from-ukraine
Here is a link to the White House statement and plans for the 100,000 just posted on the White House website - https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/03/24/fact-sheet-the-biden-administration-announces-new-humanitarian-development-and-democracy-assistance-to-ukraine-and-the-surrounding-region/
FACT SHEET: The Biden Administration Announces New Humanitarian, Development, and Democracy Assistance to Ukraine and the Surrounding Region
March 24, 2022
Statements and Releases
The United States is proud to be the largest single donor of humanitarian, democracy, and human rights assistance to Ukraine, working closely with our European partners. We remain committed to ensuring those affected by President Putin's war of aggression, especially vulnerable populations such as women, children, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTQI+) persons, and persons with disabilities, are able to access food, clean water, shelter, and medical care. In addition to assisting people in need within Ukraine, we are supporting the efforts of Ukraine's neighbors and the European Union to welcome and host millions of refugees. And we will do our part to welcome Ukrainians to the United States.
Today, the United States is announcing that we are prepared to provide more than $1 billion in new funding towards humanitarian assistance for those affected by Russia's war in Ukraine and its severe impacts around the world, including a marked rise in food insecurity, over the coming months. This funding will provide food, shelter, clean water, medical supplies and other forms of assistance. We are also announcing an additional $320 million in democracy and human rights funding to Ukraine and its neighbors. Since 2021, the United States has provided over $1.1 billion in economic, health, democracy and human rights, and humanitarian assistance to the Europe and Eurasia region.
In addition to our humanitarian assistance, the United States continues to support public health initiatives in Ukraine and the region to tamp down the spread of communicable diseases like polio, tuberculosis, and COVID, and to help ensure patients continue to have access to medical care. And we remain committed to defending and strengthening democratic governance, human rights, and the fight against corruption in Ukraine and its neighbors, as together we reject autocracy and aggression.
March 24, 2022
Statements and Releases
The United States is proud to be the largest single donor of humanitarian, democracy, and human rights assistance to Ukraine, working closely with our European partners. We remain committed to ensuring those affected by President Putin's war of aggression, especially vulnerable populations such as women, children, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTQI+) persons, and persons with disabilities, are able to access food, clean water, shelter, and medical care. In addition to assisting people in need within Ukraine, we are supporting the efforts of Ukraine's neighbors and the European Union to welcome and host millions of refugees. And we will do our part to welcome Ukrainians to the United States.
Today, the United States is announcing that we are prepared to provide more than $1 billion in new funding towards humanitarian assistance for those affected by Russia's war in Ukraine and its severe impacts around the world, including a marked rise in food insecurity, over the coming months. This funding will provide food, shelter, clean water, medical supplies and other forms of assistance. We are also announcing an additional $320 million in democracy and human rights funding to Ukraine and its neighbors. Since 2021, the United States has provided over $1.1 billion in economic, health, democracy and human rights, and humanitarian assistance to the Europe and Eurasia region.
In addition to our humanitarian assistance, the United States continues to support public health initiatives in Ukraine and the region to tamp down the spread of communicable diseases like polio, tuberculosis, and COVID, and to help ensure patients continue to have access to medical care. And we remain committed to defending and strengthening democratic governance, human rights, and the fight against corruption in Ukraine and its neighbors, as together we reject autocracy and aggression.
Providing refuge to Displaced Ukrainians. While we expect many Ukrainians will choose to remain in Europe close to family and their homes in Ukraine, today, the United States is announcing plans to welcome up to 100,000 Ukrainians and others fleeing Russia's aggression through the full range of legal pathways, including the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. In particular, we are working to expand and develop new programs with a focus on welcoming Ukrainians who have family members in the United States. The United States and the European Union are also coordinating closely to ensure that these efforts, and other forms of humanitarian admission or transfers, are complementary and provide much-needed support to Ukraine's neighbors. Supporting humanitarian assistance in Ukraine. Today, the Biden Administration is announcing that we are prepared to provide more than $1 billion in new funding towards humanitarian assistance to support people within Ukraine and assist those affected by the global impacts of Russia's war. This support builds on the 25-person humanitarian response team the United States has deployed to the region to assess needs, provide assistance, and coordinate closely with the United Nations, NGOs, and the Government of Ukraine, including the State Emergency Services of Ukraine. With the support of the United States and Allies and partners, the World Food Programme is working to reach 3.1 million people in Ukraine with ready-to-eat rations, canned goods, bread, wheat, flour, and oil. U.S.-funded humanitarian organizations in Ukraine are operating mobile medical teams and delivering emergency health supplies and medicine to public health care centers, enabling continued primary health services, trauma care, and vaccinations. In collective shelters in places like Mariupol or Lviv, humanitarian organizations are distributing blankets, water containers, and hygiene kits containing soap, toothpaste, diapers, and toilet paper to help thousands of internally displaced persons and mitigate the spread of disease. Mobile teams are also providing psychological support, ensuring especially vulnerable populations have access to services and are protected from risks, including gender-based violence, child-trafficking, and landmines. Helping those who have fled in the region. Since February 24, the United States has already provided more than $123 million to complement the work of neighboring countries and the European Union to receive and host millions of refugees, including $48 million in Poland, $30 million in Moldova, $10 million in Romania, $9 million in Hungary, and $4 million in the Slovak Republic. U.S.-funded humanitarian organizations are working in partnership with host governments to launch cash programs that provide refugees with temporary assistance for food, accommodations, and medical care until they can work or receive social support. In addition to counselling, legal aid, and mental health and psychological support, U.S. partners are providing health support for refugees including infection prevention and control, and sexual and reproductive health assistance, as well as providing safe drinking water, strengthening sanitation infrastructure, and providing refugees with basic household items and shelter materials. The U.S. has deployed refugee coordinators to the region to work with the governments of neighboring countries, the UN, and other humanitarian organizations, and donors. Additionally, the U.S. has allocated $5.5 million to facilitate the safe and orderly return of up to 20,000 third-country nationals to return home from Ukraine. Bolstering democracy and human rights in Ukraine and neighboring states. In line with President Biden's commitment to support democracy and human rights globally, the United States is launching the European Democratic Resilience Initiative (EDRI), which is intended to provide at least $320 million in new funding to support societal resilience and defend human rights in Ukraine and neighboring countries. The EDRI is expected to support media freedom and counter disinformation, increase the safety and security of activists and vulnerable groups including LGBTQI+ persons, build resilience to strategic corruption and kleptocracy, strengthen democratic and anti-corruption institutions and the region's rule of law, and support accountability for human rights abuses and violations of international law. Implementation of the EDRI will be closely coordinated with the European Union and other partners. Advancing accountability for Russian war crimes in Ukraine. An important component of EDRI will be support for efforts to document and preserve evidence of potential war crimes being committed in Ukraine. The United States is already supporting several such initiatives. New lines of effort, including the establishment of a conflict observatory, will gather information that can be shared with a range of accountability efforts at the national and international level designed to hold Russia accountable for its actions. Protecting children and other vulnerable populations. Russia's unprovoked further invasion of Ukraine poses an immediate and growing threat to the lives and well-being of the country's 7.5 million children who face attacks on schools, injuries from mines and explosives, and child trafficking. In response, in both Ukraine and surrounding countries, the United States has been supporting Children and Family Protection Support Hubs where professional case workers, mental health professionals, and legal aid providers are available to assist children, female heads of household, those with disabilities, older persons and other vulnerable populations. These centers offer safe spaces for psychosocial support, hygiene, health and nutrition; provide family tracing for unaccompanied children; as well as protection from sexual exploitation and abuse. With support to nine different organizations, the United States is also supporting 55 mobile protection teams to prevent family separation, mitigate gender-based violence, communicate the risks of mines and war remnants, and address the psychological effects of war. Strengthening public health. Since February 24, the U.S. government has rapidly accelerated support to the Ukrainian health system and systems in the region, on top of previously funded programs. Inside Ukraine, U.S. government partners are providing critical medical commodities, expanded immunization support to areas experiencing an influx of internally displaced persons, and supporting continuity of tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS treatment services to ensure patients do not lose access to lifesaving treatments - including through procuring $6.1 million worth of antiretroviral drugs, re-purposing of mobile HIV testing vans, and expanded support to patients and home delivery of medicines. The U.S. government is also supporting the Ministry of Health and World Health Organization with technical assistance on issues such as immunization, outbreak response, blood safety, and overall emergency response coordination. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is also supporting the Ministry of Health to consolidate medicine needs from over 5,000 public, private, and academic institutions in order to guide and prioritize humanitarian assistance efforts, while helping the Ministry of Health to shift and expand warehousing and medicines delivery capacity. The U.S. government is also working with the Public Health Center of Ukraine to roster all CDC-trained graduates of the Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) in-country and support relocation of critical public health equipment and personnel within Ukraine, to mitigate the impacts of the Russian invasion on public health infrastructure. These teams are augmenting the humanitarian response by monitoring the health conditions of the Ukraine population, including refugees and internally displaced persons with focus on COVID-19, HIV, TB, measles, polio, mental health, non-communicable diseases, and maternal and child health. Defending global food security. Russia's war of aggression threatens to disrupt the supply of critical agricultural commodities from the Black Sea region, jeopardizing global food security, particularly for vulnerable populations in the Middle East and Africa. The United States, through the Feed the Future initiative and our nutrition commitments, will be providing over $11 billion over the next five years to address food security threats and malnutrition across the globe - with programming in many of the countries vulnerable to increases in food and fertilizer prices. Ongoing activities within the initiative that help buffer food systems against macroeconomic shocks like the Russian invasion of Ukraine include: increasing the productivity of smallholder farmers, including women, through access to improved agricultural technologies and inputs, financing, and markets; strengthening agricultural market systems by building a vibrant local private sector; and improving people's access to higher quality diets and safer food for improved nutrition. Additionally, the United States will remain one of the top providers of humanitarian food and nutrition assistance globally, having contributed approximately $4.6 billion in humanitarian food and nutrition assistance in 2021.
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https://www.state.gov/report-to-congress-on-proposed-refugee-admissions-for-fiscal-year-2022/
(submitted Sept. 20, 2021 for FY2022 - which we are now in as of Oct. 1, 2021)
Of course that was just a proposal required per law and circumstances can obviously change, particularly with what has happened with Ukraine. But since the original authority was a LAW passed in 1980, Congress could revise it, although they have generally been unable to get anything related to "immigration/refugee reform" passed in over 40 years.
(bolding emphasis mine)
(submitted Sept. 20, 2021 for FY2022 - which we are now in as of Oct. 1, 2021)
Of course that was just a proposal required per law and circumstances can obviously change, particularly with what has happened with Ukraine. But since the original authority was a LAW passed in 1980, Congress could revise it, although they have generally been unable to get anything related to "immigration/refugee reform" passed in over 40 years.
S.643 - Refugee Act of 1979 96th Congress (1979-1980)
(snip)
Conference report filed in House (02/22/1980)
(Conference report filed in House, H. Rept. 96-781)
Refugee Act of 1980 - =Title I: Purpose= - Declares the purposes of this Act to be to provide a permanent and systematic procedure for the admission of refugees of special humanitarian concern to the United States and to provide comprehensive and uniform provisions for the effective resettlement and absorption of those refugees who are admitted.
=Title II: Admission of Refugees= - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to define "refugee" as any person who is: (1) outside his country of nationality (or in the case of a person having no nationality, is outside any country in which he last habitually resided), and who is unable or unwilling to return to such country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group; or (2) in special circumstances as the President, after congressional consultation, may specify, within the country of his nationality (or in the case of a person having no nationality, within the country in which such person is habitually residing), and who is persecuted or has a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Excludes from the definition of "refugee" any person who ordered, incited, or otherwise participated in the persecution of any person on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.
Provides for up to 50,000 annual refugee admissions for fiscal years 1980 through 1982. Authorizes the President to exceed such 50,000 admissions level if, at the beginning of a fiscal year and after appropriate consultation, he determines it to be for humanitarian purposes. Provides that these admissions shall be allocated to groups of special concern to the United States.
Authorizes the Attorney General to admit such refugees who are not firmly resettled in a foreign country (and accompanying spouses and children) as permanent residents without first being admitted conditionally. Exempts such admissions from meeting certain other immigrant requirements (labor certification, public charge, immigrant visa, literacy, and foreign physicians).
Requires that the waiver of such requirements be in writing, and only granted after an investigation of each individual refugee. Authorizes the Attorney General to terminate an alien's refugee status if such alien was not in fact a refugee (as defined by this Act) at the time of admission.
Directs the President to report annually to the Judiciary Committees of the House and Senate regarding the foreseeable number of refugees in need of resettlement during the coming fiscal year, and the anticipated allocation of such refugee admissions. Requires appropriate consultation between Presidential representatives and such Committees, and directs such Committees to print the substance of such consultations in the Congressional Record.
(snip)
https://www.congress.gov/bill/96th-congress/senate-bill/643
(snip)
Conference report filed in House (02/22/1980)
(Conference report filed in House, H. Rept. 96-781)
Refugee Act of 1980 - =Title I: Purpose= - Declares the purposes of this Act to be to provide a permanent and systematic procedure for the admission of refugees of special humanitarian concern to the United States and to provide comprehensive and uniform provisions for the effective resettlement and absorption of those refugees who are admitted.
=Title II: Admission of Refugees= - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to define "refugee" as any person who is: (1) outside his country of nationality (or in the case of a person having no nationality, is outside any country in which he last habitually resided), and who is unable or unwilling to return to such country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group; or (2) in special circumstances as the President, after congressional consultation, may specify, within the country of his nationality (or in the case of a person having no nationality, within the country in which such person is habitually residing), and who is persecuted or has a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Excludes from the definition of "refugee" any person who ordered, incited, or otherwise participated in the persecution of any person on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.
Provides for up to 50,000 annual refugee admissions for fiscal years 1980 through 1982. Authorizes the President to exceed such 50,000 admissions level if, at the beginning of a fiscal year and after appropriate consultation, he determines it to be for humanitarian purposes. Provides that these admissions shall be allocated to groups of special concern to the United States.
Authorizes the Attorney General to admit such refugees who are not firmly resettled in a foreign country (and accompanying spouses and children) as permanent residents without first being admitted conditionally. Exempts such admissions from meeting certain other immigrant requirements (labor certification, public charge, immigrant visa, literacy, and foreign physicians).
Requires that the waiver of such requirements be in writing, and only granted after an investigation of each individual refugee. Authorizes the Attorney General to terminate an alien's refugee status if such alien was not in fact a refugee (as defined by this Act) at the time of admission.
Directs the President to report annually to the Judiciary Committees of the House and Senate regarding the foreseeable number of refugees in need of resettlement during the coming fiscal year, and the anticipated allocation of such refugee admissions. Requires appropriate consultation between Presidential representatives and such Committees, and directs such Committees to print the substance of such consultations in the Congressional Record.
(snip)
https://www.congress.gov/bill/96th-congress/senate-bill/643
(bolding emphasis mine)
I'm happy to welcome these refugees. The Ukrainians I've met have been good people.
There are 4 million displaced and 2.2 million in refugee status from South Sudan caused by their civil war and other hostilities cross-border in Sudan.
There are tens of thousands of refugees from the still simmering hostilities between the now-Russia supporting Eritrea and Ethiopia.
Shouldn't we also open our doors to them? Unfortunately, they don't get "the press" and don't "look like" the still-current "majority" in America, so are not considered important or worthy.
The cap for ALL admissions was raised by Biden to 125,000 this past fall, from the obscene low of 15,000 set by the previous administration, so the administration is going to have to work out some other mechanisms to deal with that -
There are tens of thousands of refugees from the still simmering hostilities between the now-Russia supporting Eritrea and Ethiopia.
Shouldn't we also open our doors to them? Unfortunately, they don't get "the press" and don't "look like" the still-current "majority" in America, so are not considered important or worthy.
The cap for ALL admissions was raised by Biden to 125,000 this past fall, from the obscene low of 15,000 set by the previous administration, so the administration is going to have to work out some other mechanisms to deal with that -
The Biden administration will raise the cap on refugee admissions to 125,000.
By Michael D. Shear
Sept. 20, 2021
WASHINGTON — President Biden intends to increase to 125,000 the number of refugees who can enter the United States in the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, the State Department announced on Monday, making good on his campaign pledge to do so.
Mr. Biden’s decision is unlikely to affect two groups of people most recently in the news: tens of thousands of people from Kabul fleeing the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan and more than 15,000 Haitians in a sprawling, makeshift camp under a bridge at the southern border. The people in those groups are not officially classified as refugees.
But the move indicates the president’s intention to open the country’s doors after four years in which the Trump administration sought to prevent refugees from settling here. In May, Mr. Biden raised the refugee admissions cap for the current fiscal year from 15,000 — an historically low level set by former President Donald J. Trump — to 62,500.
At the time, Mr. Biden also vowed to make good on his promise to increase the cap to 125,000 for the first full fiscal year of his presidency. Ned Price, the State Department spokesman, said in a statement on Monday that Mr. Biden has sent to Congress a report detailing his intention to do just that in an effort to “address needs generated by humanitarian crises around the globe.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/20/us/politics/biden-refugee-cap.html
By Michael D. Shear
Sept. 20, 2021
WASHINGTON — President Biden intends to increase to 125,000 the number of refugees who can enter the United States in the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, the State Department announced on Monday, making good on his campaign pledge to do so.
Mr. Biden’s decision is unlikely to affect two groups of people most recently in the news: tens of thousands of people from Kabul fleeing the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan and more than 15,000 Haitians in a sprawling, makeshift camp under a bridge at the southern border. The people in those groups are not officially classified as refugees.
But the move indicates the president’s intention to open the country’s doors after four years in which the Trump administration sought to prevent refugees from settling here. In May, Mr. Biden raised the refugee admissions cap for the current fiscal year from 15,000 — an historically low level set by former President Donald J. Trump — to 62,500.
At the time, Mr. Biden also vowed to make good on his promise to increase the cap to 125,000 for the first full fiscal year of his presidency. Ned Price, the State Department spokesman, said in a statement on Monday that Mr. Biden has sent to Congress a report detailing his intention to do just that in an effort to “address needs generated by humanitarian crises around the globe.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/20/us/politics/biden-refugee-cap.html
For the most part the Ukrainians will want to return to their homeland as soon as it's safe. They didn't pack up everything they own to come here and stay forever. They're not immigrants. They left Ukraine in a hurry, and most have family and friends left behind to defend against invasion.
For that reason alone, we cannot equate the Ukrainian refugees with the waves of war victims who came here after WWII and other wars. They're nothing like the 19th century Irish immigrants who fled the potato famine. They're also not like the migrant farm workers who come here from Mexico and Central America to help with crops annually. These Ukrainian refugees will not be permitted to accept employment while they're here, and for the most part they'll have 6-month visas unless something else is arranged.
We should welcome the refugees with open arms, with understanding and respect. They'll be here for a time and then they'll go back home as soon as they can. Let them enjoy the time they are able to be with us.
