The Ukraine Immigration Task Force was quoted in today’s Policy & Advocacy Report from the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI). The policy brief highlights some of the financial and safety challenges for newly arriving Ukrainians paroled after September 30, 2023 who are not eligible for federal mainstream benefits, Medicaid coverage, or ORR funded resettlement assistance.
The Task Force’s Executive Director and Regulatory Counsel, Anne Smith, underscored the importance of these benefits to both Ukrainians fleeing war — many of whom are mothers with young children arriving with little more than the clothes on their backs — and their U.S. sponsors who offer them a lifeline through the Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) program.
These benefits have often been the “difference between families being able to live somewhere on their own or all being crammed into a person’s spare bedroom.” She added that “It has been tangibly critical to keep beneficiaries from sleeping in bus stations and showing up to every charitable organization.” Moreover, “There’s no question that these benefits have been critical to the success of the U4U program.”
Basic assistance to Ukrainian parolees fleeing war is critical — both to the safety of families who have lost everything, and to the continued success of sponsor-driven humanitarian parole programs.
The Ukraine Immigration Task Force is grateful to USCRI, Church World Service (CWS), Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), HIAS, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Svitlo, Refugee Council USA (RCUSA), and other organizations for their advocacy on these issues. We hope this Policy & Advocacy Report raises awareness about why such benefits as food stamps and health insurance help provide a safety net that can mean the difference between a stable refuge away from home and dire circumstances that force already-traumatized families into unsafe conditions.
You can read the Policy Brief, full Policy & Advocacy report, and one-page policy summary here: