Ukrainian refugees favored over others at US borders

By Al Mayadeen net
Source: Agencies
21 Apr 2022 09:55

According to activists and personal accounts, Ukrainian refugees have had a superior experience when entering the US than other asylum-seekers.

The world has been extremely supportive of Ukrainians in stark comparison with other asylum-seeking people (MLive.com)

According to campaigners and eyewitness experiences reported to Sputnik, Ukrainian refugees have had a considerably better experience entering the US than many who are escaping other wars across the world, from Biden administration policy to border treatment.

The US has seen an increase in Ukrainians arriving at its borders recently, with an estimated 10,000 entering between February 1 and April 6.

Last month, reports surfaced of Ukrainians being let in with no problem, while Russians were denied entry.

According to statistics released by US Customs and Border Protection on Tuesday, the number of interactions with Ukrainian citizens at US borders increased from 1,100 on average from October to February to more than 5,000 in March.

According to Al Otro Lado, an immigrant advocacy group, US border authorities are now processing 400 to 1,000 Ukrainian migrants each day.

Biden recently announced the US will welcome up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees, while there is a backlog of 40,000 visa applicants from Afghanistan, the country the US occupied and wreaked havoc in for 20 years, who have been waiting six months for a decision.

Temporary Protected Status (TPS), protects migrants from being deported for a set amount of time. Ukrainians were granted TPS less than a month after Russia launched its military intervention, but Afghans had to wait seven months after the US withdrew.

Voices for Creative Nonviolence Co-Coordinator Kathy Kelly told Sputnik that "people in Afghanistan, Yemen, and other parts of the world where the US has waged a war of choice and/or assisted other countries in their invasions, blockades, and airstrikes have every right to lament the terrible double standard being played out, in real-time, in their very real lives."

She added that Ukrainians will come into the US faster than Afghans who were given wait times of 18 to 45 months.

Unlike the many Ukrainian refugees who fled to neighboring countries, nearly 100,00 who made their way to the US were much more comfortable than other asylum seekers.

After the disastrous withdrawal of the US from Afghanistan, thousands of Afghan refugees who had already undergone a chaotic evacuation were kept at military facilities.

Border authorities in the US have turned away asylum applicants from Nigeria, Colombia, Honduras, and Mexico, prompting allegations of discriminatory treatment.

According to immigration rights groups, Trump's administration separated migrant parents from their children under the so-called zero-tolerance policy, while many other migrant adults were held in overcrowded holding centers with insufficient food, water, and medical supplies.

Ruben Garcia, Executive Director of the Annunciation House, a migrant organization in El Paso, Texas, told Sputnik that Ukrainian refugees appear to have more support in the US than other migrants.

"What I can tell you is they're well-connected… so when they cross over they've already been in touch with family," Garcia said. "Some people get picked up right there at the port of entry and they go to the airport and they're on their way."

White lives matter

The US lawmakers have been more outspoken about supporting Ukrainian refugees than other nations. Conservative officials that have repeatedly called for more strict vetting processes and fears over migration have remained silent about the intake of Ukrainians.

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, highlighted that the world may not give the same attention to Black and White lives, as crises in Ethiopia, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Syria have received only a "fraction" of the concern shown for Ukraine.