In the two weeks since the Russian invasion, more than two million people -- half of them children -- have fled Ukraine in what has become Europe's worst refugee crisis since the Second World War. Many have fled to nearby countries like Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova, while other countries further away have announced their willingness to take in the displaced Ukrainians.
In America, Joe Biden has announced that Ukrainians will be provided Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which is estimated to impact the 30,000 Ukrainian nationals who are already in the United States. But according to Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), the current refugees fall under a different category.
"With regard to the people who are coming out of Ukraine right now, that is going to be an issue for refugee resettlement," he adds. "The United States is going to do its share, along with the Europeans and other countries."
He adds, though, that it also depends on the circumstances.
"We don't know what the situation is going to be in a couple months -- whether the Russians decide that they're going to withdraw because the sanctions are breaking them," Mehlman notes. "It's a fluid situation, but the issue of people who are now coming out of Ukraine is very different from those who are here and eligible for TPS. The people coming out now may be eligible for refugee resettlement here in the United States and in other countries."
Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval (D) announced on Wednesday that his Ohio city would be willing to take some Ukrainian refugees.
