In a dual attempt to deter further influx at the southern border and to provide an expedited avenue for Ukrainians to the US, the Biden administration has announced their new initiative, Uniting for Ukraine. With two months into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, pressure has been mounting on the US to address its promised resettlement of 100,000 Ukrainians. Until recently, there has been little guidance for Ukrainians on legal passage to the US, with over 15,000 having been released internally mostly via land travel through Mexico.
The program is meant to streamline Ukrainian applications for humanitarian parole. In a statement released on April 21, 2022 The Department of Homeland Security states, “To be eligible, Ukrainians must have been residents in Ukraine as of February 11, 2022, have a sponsor in the United States, complete vaccinations and other public health requirements, and pass rigorous biometric and biographic screening and vetting security checks. Ukrainians approved via this process will be authorized to travel to the United States and be considered for parole, on a case-by-case basis, for a period of up to two years. Once paroled through this process, Ukrainians will be eligible for work authorization.”
The program has long been anticipated as a potential reprieve from the traditional means of immigration to the US through visa pipelines or the Refugee Resettlement Program (RRP); both of which are known to be long and convoluted processes that have become deeply backlogged partially due to the pandemic.
Of the 15,000 Ukrainians that have made it into the US, only 12 have been processed through the RRP. The 12 resettled are most likely applications from years prior to the Russian invasion. This is due to the extraordinarily long background checks and processes that are involved in refugee resettlement that can take from 18-24 months minimum.
To see a breakdown of the process check out the National Immigration Forum’s fact sheet: U.S. Refugee Resettlement.
Texas, traditionally one of the top states in refugee resettlement, is expected to receive around 12,000 Ukrainians. Surprisingly, resettlement is usually taken up by a network of nonprofits and agencies like Refugee Services of Texas. Consistently, Texas has chosen to focus its investment in border security initiatives such as Operation Lone Star rather than migrant aid, leaving the brunt of humanitarian aid to be provided by NGOs.
The US continues to encourage Urkainians to seek entry into the US through legal visa applications as well. The issue is that these processes can take just as long as RRP during non-pandemic times. With the added stress of current, massive backlogs, the US visa system is woefully underprepared for additional surges. As a part of the introduction of Uniting for Ukraine DHS states that they plan on expanding “refugee resettlement processing and broadened access to visa processing at consular posts overseas.”
Along with the program, DHS announced that it will no longer exempt Ukrainians from Title 42 expulsions at the US-Mexico border. The move comes as Title 42’s end approaches without clear guidance on how the federal government will handle the impending spike in border crossings.
Despite bold promises by the federal government, it is still unclear how beneficial this new program will be. Skeptics worry that the program will experience backlogs similar to other immigration avenues due to its multifaceted application process. While we hope United for Ukraine is successful in aiding Ukrainians in need, their struggles in getting to the US once again highlight faults within our encumbered immigration system.