The United States is changing the rules for accepting refugees from Ukraine: how volunteers help victims of the war

Against the backdrop of Russia's devastating war against Ukraine, the number of refugees fleeing shelling is increasing every day. Some of them came to Mexico, then through the southern border to get to the United States. For almost two months, the fund's volunteers Central Park Angels and other organizations welcomed newcomers to Mexico, where they assisted with accommodation, primary care and humanitarian parole at the border. Fund volunteers told ForumDaily about how refugee assistance was organized, and what program is replacing the crossing of the southern border on foot.

Photo: Central Park Angels

An endless stream of refugees

Volunteers explain: unlike asylum seekers, Ukrainian refugees practically do not end up in immigration prisons. The only exceptions are people who previously had visa or other violations of their stay abroad - if information about this is stored in the international database. In these rare cases, refugees also ended up in immigration detention centres.

At the same time, both volunteers and lawyers emphasize the difference between political refugees, that is, people who have been persecuted in their own country by the authorities, and humanitarian, that is, those who fled the war. If the former can apply for political asylum, then the latter could request a humanitarian password until April 25. These and other subtleties of Ukrainians fleeing the war were explained by employees and volunteers of the foundation, who met them right at the airport in the Mexican city of Tijuana.

«We organized a kiosk at the airport on our own, where refugees were received and registered. The Mexican authorities gave us a corner, which was surrounded by opaque partitions so that no one bothered people. It often happened that people left in Mexico after 6 or 8 flights, dead tired, and sometimes with health problems' says the volunteer. Inna Levien.

According to her, even on those nights when the influx of refugees was especially large, about two hundred people could be accommodated in this corner until the morning. Inna herself arrived at the border on March 23. On that day, about a hundred Ukrainians flew to Mexico, and the very next day there were 800 refugees. Soon the number of visitors reached a thousand.

«Then we managed to negotiate with the local authorities, and they allocated a gym where we could accommodate people for the night. But even then there was not enough space. Fortunately, several churches helped us. In a word, we used all the connections and opportunities to accommodate people", - says Inna.

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The only break in the flow of refugees was the school holidays - the time when Mexicans prefer family vacations, and they sold out most of the tickets in advance when planning vacation trips. But then the number of visitors increased again.

Border crossing rules

Inna recalls that despite the huge flow of refugees, at first there were only 20 volunteers. Volunteers formed a team under the general name United with Ukraine, which was divided into groups. One of them was engaged in registration and formation of a queue for crossing the border, the other was in childcare. The third group cleaned and accommodated people for the night, the fourth provided medical assistance to the new arrivals. We even managed to form a team of psychologists from among the volunteers. Over time, the number of helpers has increased.

«Some volunteers could only help us on weekends and then they had to go back to work. My first working day at the border lasted 27 hours. It happened that strangers passed by, saw that we could not cope with the influx of refugees, and also began to help us", - says Inna.

Photo: Central Park Angels

Volunteers created a special website where refugees could register to cross the border. They checked their passports, after which people received a number and then waited in line at hotels or at places of accommodation selected for them by employees of the foundation. When their turn came up, the volunteers reported about it in a special Telegram channel.

«When people arrived at the gathering place, we gave them detailed instructions. Separate instructions concerned mixed Russian-Ukrainian families, underage children who come without parents, and the transfer of animals across the border. We found a law firm that advised people on the spot for free. Of course, it is highly desirable that people have birth certificates for their children, and in the case of mixed families, a marriage certificate. Translation of documents was optional - translators worked right at the border. It was clear to everyone that it was sometimes unrealistic to find a certified translator in war conditions.”, the volunteer details.

According to the activists, the border guards, among other things, could check the registration stamp in Ukraine and the stamp with the date of departure from the country in order to weed out people who had already lived abroad for a long time. In addition, it was necessary to name the address where the refugees planned to live in the United States. That was enough. Right at the border, refugees received a 363-day humanitarian password that entitles them to a Social Security Number (SSN) and a work permit.

Volunteers were also waiting for refugees on the American side of the border. They greeted the new arrivals and their American relatives with tea and food, and assisted them with transport if necessary. According to the Foundation's volunteers, by the time the program ended, an average of 100 Ukrainian refugees per hour passed through the southern border.

«Churches and Jewish organizations helped us a lot here. They hosted people for the night who had nowhere to stay and found those who could shelter the refugees for a while.”, - Inna shares with us.

New rules

From April 25, the official program for the admission of Ukrainian refugees to the United States comes into force. Now people fleeing the war can fly to America directly from Europe. The program applies strictly to those who lived in Ukraine as of February 11 and can find a sponsor who is ready to take on the financial costs of a new immigrant. At the same time, the newcomer receives the status of a temporarily protected person for a period of two years and a work permit.

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Volunteers note that the program, adopted largely due to numerous requests from employees of the Central Park Angels Foundation and other organizations involved in helping Ukrainians, has not yet been fully developed and will be polished in the near future. But now the volunteers are explaining that in the future it will provide for the possibility of changing the immigration status and obtaining a permanent residence permit. Those who received a humanitarian password before April 25 will also be able to extend their stay in America, depending on the duration of hostilities.

As for political refugees, for example from Russia or Belarus, they can still apply for asylum at the southern border. ForumDaily has already described how some refugees today trying to cross the border Mexico and the United States on cars, in order to be able to then apply for protection to the American authorities. From May 23, the pedestrian border crossing for asylum seekers, previously closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, will also open.

Photo: Central Park Angels

However, in addition to additional opportunities, this option is fraught with its own dangers. According to volunteers, many refugees from Latin American countries have been waiting for the opening of the corridor for a very long time. While waiting in the tent camps, people became embittered and are now preparing to break into the United States at any cost. Understanding this, the American authorities alert the troops of the National Guard. All this increases the likelihood of collisions at the border.

ForumDaily earlier already told about how the Central Park Angels Foundation organizes the evacuation of people from the war zone and the delivery of humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

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