The Dilemma of Ukrainian Refugees in America – OZY

Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine sparked an influx of refugees across Europe, but by early March it was clear that the spread of this humanitarian crisis would not remain confined to Europe. Ukrainian migrants fleeing their war-torn lands began arriving in Tijuana around March 10, said Enrique Lucero, director of the city’s Migrant Attention Center. Within two days, that number had grown to over 6,000. US border officials quickly began processing their entry into the country. As the news spread, many more made their way to the San Ysidro border checkpoint in Tijuana, the busiest port of entry into the United States from Mexico.

This first wave of migrants arrived more than three weeks before President Joe Biden declared that the United States “welcome 100,000 Ukrainian refugees», and six weeks before April 21 launch of United for Ukraine, a Department of Homeland Security program to deliver on that promise. As the number of refugees arriving in Tijuana from Ukraine continued to rise, their presence sparked tensions and questions about the seemingly different standards employed by US border officials.

US officials initially processed documents for Ukrainian refugees with a sense of urgency and at a rate of about 90 a day, Lucero said. Such urgency is often lacking when dealing with Mexican or Central American migrants, said Josiane Moukam, an organizer at Migrant space, which supports migrants in Tijuana. Most of the more than 5,000 Latin American and other non-European migrants waiting in this city do not know when or if they will be allowed entry. , a March 2020 public health restriction on the entry of migrants signed into law by former President Donald Trump amid COVID-19, and continued by Biden. Before Title 42, they would be processed in two weeks, on average, according to Lucero.

Title 42 also applies to Ukrainian asylum seekers, but there is a caveat: Border officials can review each claim on a case-by-case basis and offer exemptions to Ukrainians. Such a warning does not exist for others. The result? In February, at the start of the Russian invasion, only one Ukrainian was expelled citing Title 42, out of an initial set of 272 applicants encountered by Customs and Border Patrol at the border. In contrast, about two-thirds of all Guatemalan, Honduran and Salvadoran migrants at the same border have been turned away, citing Title 42. “All migrants need assistance to be able to cross the border with the same rights,” said Moukam said.

More than one million Ukrainian Americans live in the United States, more than a third of whom reside in the United States. New York, California and Pennsylvania. Immediately after Ukrainian asylum seekers began arriving in Tijuana, a group of Ukrainian American volunteers traveled to the Mexican border to help their compatriots flee the war. “We had never seen organizations come, spend the night with them, bring them food, pick them up from the airport and do all this work for the migrants here,” Lucero told OZY.

To 62 million, the Latin American population of the United States is 60 times that of the Ukrainian American community, but you wouldn’t know that at the border with Mexico. “It’s a cultural difference. It taught us a lesson and it serves as an example to our communities in the United States – we have never seen a community of Mexicans or Guatemalans, Hondurans or Salvadorans living in the United States coming to support displaced people” , said Lucero. According to him, the largest shelter for non-European migrants in Tijuana is located inside a church called Embajadores de Jesus, and is mostly run with the help of local volunteers and non-governmental organizations.

When the Ukrainian refugees started arriving, they were placed in another shelter. That’s where Ukrainian American volunteers arrived to help them, Lucero said. “The municipality only did the essentials, but all the logistics were handled 24/7 by Ukrainian volunteers – we had never seen that here either,” he said. declared. He noted that people working with migrants at the border were impressed with the quality of organization of Ukrainian American volunteers.

For at least four decades, millions of people from conflict-ridden central american country actively sought a better life by emigrating to the United States. Many make the journey of thousands of miles overland to the US-Mexico border that takes months, often braving physical and sexual violence along the way. Once there, they do not have access to expedited entry into the United States as refugees.

At the restaurant Houston where mario, an undocumented migrant, once worked, he earned $300 in tips in a single night in November 2016. But Trump’s election that month changed everything. Mario had entered the United States illegally and has since been deported to Guatemala. Mario is not his real name – he spoke on condition of anonymity. But the relatively better treatment that Ukrainian migrants have received has touched him raw. “I wish I could have experienced a tiny fraction of the quality of their treatment,” he told OZY.

Ukrainian refugees seeking to enter the United States face considerable challenges. For some, the Uniting for Ukraine program has complicated their plans. The program is only open to those residing in Ukraine as of February 11, although the threat of war has already scared many away. Under this initiative, asylum seekers must apply from Europe, Mexico or other countries, but cannot apply at the Tijuana border crossing. This presents a challenge for those who had already planned to arrive at the border and are now repressed.

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Activists remain concerned about the preferential treatment given to Ukrainian refugees compared to those from other parts of the world. The Biden administration has offered no Title 42 exemptions for refugees fleeing wars in Syria or Yemen, or those who had to leave Afghanistan last year after America’s chaotic exit from that country, which also coincided with strict COVID-19 restrictions. This gap persists today, as Ukrainian refugees can apply for Title 42 exemptions in a way that others fleeing war-torn lands cannot.

According to activists working at the border, the answer is not to treat Ukrainian refugees with less empathy and care. In fact, they deserve even more help than they have received so far. What is missing, said Josiane Moukam, is the political will of the US government to adopt a similar approach for all migrants. “All of them are human beings,” she told OZY. “What’s the difference? None. They should all be treated the same.

How should the United States respond to the many immigration requests from refugees around the world?

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