According to government data obtained by CBS News, the U.S. took in more than 100,000 Ukrainians in the roughly five months after Russia invaded Ukraine, delivering on President Biden’s promise to offer a temporary safe haven to those displaced as part of the largest refugee exodus since World War II.
According to official statistics, the tens of thousands of Ukrainians who have entered the United States since the invasion on February 24 have done so via various immigration processes and with varying legal standing, the majority of whom have been granted temporary entry visas.
According to the data, over 22,000 Ukrainians were admitted along the U.S.-Mexico border, over 47,000 Ukrainians arrived in the country on temporary or immigrant visas, nearly 30,000 Ukrainians arrived through a private sponsorship program, and 500 Ukrainians entered through the traditional refugee system.
A small portion of the millions of Ukrainians who have fled to other areas of Europe, Mr. Biden offered to accept 100,000 of them in late March as part of his forceful position against Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian immigrants would enter the United States through various immigration schemes, according to the White House at the time.
Over 100,000 Ukrainians have arrived in the United States, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), who also stated that the goal “was never a cap.” In accordance with the President’s vow, the United States “will continue processing further Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s unjustified invasion in the weeks and months to come,” according to DHS spokeswoman Angelo Fernandez.
Only Ukrainians who arrived in the country on immigrant visas or as refugees have a straight route to permanent residence and, eventually, citizenship in the United States. However, due to interviews, screening, and other procedures, these immigration channels generally take years to complete.
Those who entered the country under the Uniting for Ukraine initiative, which allowed Americans to financially sponsor Ukrainians and was introduced in late April, were given parole, a temporary humanitarian immigration classification that permits them to stay and work in the country for two years.
In an extraordinary influx that peaked in April, Ukrainians screened at ports of entry along the southern border of the United States were excused from Title 42 pandemic-era limitations on humanitarian grounds and also given temporary parole.
Similar issues arise for Ukrainians who came in the United States on temporary visas, such as those issued to tourists and business visitors.
On American territory, Ukrainians can apply for asylum, which, if granted, would allow them to stay there permanently. Another humanitarian status that enables recipients to work and reside in the United States lawfully is Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which is open to Ukrainians who entered in the country before April 19.
In order to carry out Mr. Biden’s promise, DHS launched the Uniting for Ukraine program in late April. This free program has attracted tens of thousands of applications from Americans and other parties seeking to sponsor the migration of Ukrainians, including their family members.
According to DHS data, since April 25, Americans who want to sponsor Ukrainians have submitted 92,000 applications to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Additional 64,000 Ukrainians have been given permission to visit the United States, in addition to the 30,000 arrivals made so far under the scheme.
Although the U.S. was able to accomplish Mr. Biden’s goal in a short amount of time, the 100,000 Ukrainian immigrants that arrived in the U.S. are insignificant in light of the number of Ukrainians that European nations have welcomed.
According to the UN agency for refugees, more than 6 million Ukrainian refugees are being hosted by European nations, with the majority of them residing in Russia, Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, Turkey, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
Immigration experts anticipate that many Ukrainians will choose to remain in the United States, particularly if the war in their country of origin continues. This is despite Biden administration officials’ claims that most Ukrainians are only seeking temporary refuge from the Russian invasion and not permanent resettlement.
Until Congress legalizes them or until they apply for and are granted asylum, those Ukrainians may find themselves in a precarious legal situation. However, in the midst of fierce party wrangling over immigration, Congress has been unable to implement legalization programs in recent years, and the U.S. asylum system is severely backlogged with about 500,000 cases still open.
Progressives and refugee advocates have criticized the Biden administration for giving priority to displaced Ukrainians while leaving other migrant populations, such as at-risk Afghans who were not resettled last summer and some asylum seekers who face deportation at the U.S.-Mexico border, in limbo.