The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is offering Ukrainians in the U.S. a form of humanitarian relief as Vladimir Putin’s invasion is ongoing.
The agency has added Ukraine to the list for people who can receive Temporary Protected Status. for 18 monthsAlejandro Mayorkas (DHS Secretary) announced the news on Thursday. Ukrainians are now in the country including undocumented immigrantsTourists, students and business visa holders could also be eligible for this benefit. To be eligible, you must have lived in the U.S. at least since March 1, 2022.
“Russia’s premeditated and unprovoked attack on Ukraine has resulted in an ongoing war, senseless violence, and Ukrainians forced to seek refuge in other countries,” said Mayorkas in a statement. “In these extraordinary times, we will continue to offer our support and protection to Ukrainian nationals in the United States.”
DHS estimates that around 71,500 Ukrainians will benefit from the TPS classification in the U.S. the roughly 4,000 UkrainiansDeportation hearings for those facing deportation hearings. The administration has also stopped all flights to the region.
TPS is used to identify people who are from countries where it is not safe to return, either for political, environmental or other reasons. TPS currently covers approximately 400,000 people in the United States. TPS residents can now live in the United States thanks to a Supreme Court decision last year. don’t currently have a pathwayTPS holders may not be allowed to move permanently, even though many have lived in the U.S. since decades.
Other countries announced similarOn Thursday, the United Nations will take measures to provide protection for Ukrainian refugees. The United Nations estimates that Around 1,000,000Ukrainians fled the country, and that the invasion is ongoing could end up displacing 10 millionUkrainians total
The announcement was made after lawmakers sent a letter to President Joe BidenThis week, he was asked by lawmakers to grant TPS status to Ukrainians. “Ukraine clearly meets the standard for TPS,” the lawmakers wrote, citing the “ongoing armed conflict.”
Both Democrats and Republicans RepublicansTPS was highly praised. “The world has watched a humanitarian crisis grow as over a million Ukrainians flee their homes for safety. Thank you [Biden and Mayorkas] for heeding our call for TPS,” wrote Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-New York) on Thursday. “Let this be a model for our treatment of refugees in need of humanitarian support in all parts of the world.”
Immigration advocates have pointed out that while Biden has been quick to move to protect Ukrainians, he hasn’t put countries like CameroonDespite the fact advocates have been pleading for the administration to remove them from the list for months, they are still on the list. Cameroon deportees face violence and abuseAs the West African country experiences major political unrest.
“It is evidence of anti-blackness and discrimination toward Black immigrants,” Daniel Tse, founder of the Cameroon Advocacy Network, told The New York Times.
The frustration of progressives and advocates for immigration has been growing. Biden administration’s abuseThe administration has identified the following Haitian asylum seekers: Has been deportedDespite the fact Haiti is a poor country, Haitians are still overwhelmingly populated is designated as a TPS country.
Many progressives believe that while Ukrainians should welcome Americans with open arms, refugees from other nations should also be granted the same protection, regardless if they are of the same race. “We must respond to the crisis in Ukraine with compassion,” Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Massachusetts) wrote on Thursday. “That means designating Ukraine for TPS, opening our doors to refugees and providing these same protections to refugees from Africa, Middle East, Latin America, Asia, LGBTQ communities and more.”
