WASHINGTON — The Biden administration announced on Thursday it would offer humanitarian relief to Ukrainians who have been living in the country without legal documentation since March 1 or earlier, signaling additional support for citizens of Ukraine as Russia advanced in the south of the country.Canada announced similar relief on Thursday, as did the European Union, which said it would offer three years of protection for Ukrainian refugees.The United Nations predicted that 10 million Ukrainians, about a quarter of the country’s population, could be displaced by the Russian invasion. Already, a million people have fled the country as refugees.Lawmakers and advocacy groups have been calling for the relief, known as temporary protected status. Some have estimated that 28,000 to 30,000 Ukrainians could be eligible for it; the designation gives them permission to stay and work in the United States for 18 months. Often, temporary protected status is extended. In this case, it will not apply to any Ukrainians who entered the country after March 1.“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,” Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, said in a statement.The Biden administration moved quickly on the designation, even as advocates have been pleading with the government for months to offer similar relief to people from Cameroon, who have faced violence and persecution when they were not granted asylum in the United States and deported.Daniel Tse, the founder of the Cameroon Advocacy Network, said he saw a racial component to the decisions.“It is evidence of anti-blackness and discrimination toward Black immigrants,” Mr. Tse said on Thursday, echoing a growing concern among immigration advocates and some lawmakers.The Department of Homeland Security, which decides when to grant temporary protected status in close coordination with the White House, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Previously, Mr. Mayorkas has said that the immigration system treats all migrants equally.Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have called for the administration to offer the benefit to Ukrainians.“Ukrainian Nationals currently in the United States should not be forced to return to Ukraine while the nation is at war with Russia,” Sen. Rob Portman, Republican of Ohio, said on Twitter. “Granting them Temporary Protected Status is the right thing to do.”Live Updates: Russia-Ukraine War
Updated March 3, 2022, 6:32 p.m. ETU.S. will allow some Ukrainians to stay in the country temporarily.The European Union offers three-year protection for Ukrainian refugees.Times photographers document Ukraine under attack.Senator Bob Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey and the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, praised the administration for giving this relief to Ukrainians. But he also urged the White House to designate citizens of Cameroon, Ethiopia and Afghanistan as eligible for the same benefit.“Temporary Protected Status was created by Congress for exactly this purpose — to protect people whose home countries have experienced armed conflict, an environmental disaster or extraordinary conditions that prevent people from safely returning home,” Mr. Menendez said in a statement. The program went into effect in 1990.The administration also paused deportations on commercial flights to the region, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. On March 1, three Ukrainians were scheduled for deportation to Kyiv on a commercial flight, the official said. Those three people are now eligible to apply for temporary status.Russia-Ukraine War: Key Things to Know
Card 1 of 4A Ukrainian city falls.Russian troops gained control of Kherson, the first city to be overcome during the war. The overtaking of Kherson is significant as it allows the Russians to control more of Ukraine’s southern coastline and to push west toward the city of Odessa.Russia’s advance.Russian troops encircled the strategic port city of Mariupol. A military convoy that has come within 20 miles of Kyiv appeared to have stalled in place, stymied by what British officials described as “staunch Ukrainian resistance, mechanical breakdown and congestion.”The conflict and Beijing 2022.A Western intelligence report said that China told Russian officials not to invade Ukraine before the end of the Beijing Olympics, indicating it had some knowledge about Russia’s intentions. Separately, in a quick reversal, the organizers of the Paralympic Winter Games barred athletes from Russia and Belarus from competing.A symbolic vote.The United Nations GeneralBy: Eileen Sullivan
Title: U.S. Grants Temporary Protected Status to Some Ukrainians
Sourced From: www.nytimes.com/2022/03/03/us/politics/ukraine-temporary-protected-status-immigration.html
Published Date: Fri, 04 Mar 2022 00:26:34 +0000
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