Biden administration announces the United States will welcome 100,000 Ukrainian refugees

According to senior officials on Thursday, the Biden administration is preparing to welcome as many as 100,000 Ukrainians as well as others fleeing the country into the United States.

The administration is set to allow their entry through several pathways, including the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, nonimmigrant and immigrant visas, as well as by other means.

Although additional details are set to be released in the upcoming weeks, there will be a focus on welcoming Ukrainians who already have family members residing in the United States.

So far, U.S. officials believe the majority of Ukrainians will select to remain in Europe, closer to their families and their homes in Ukraine. The administration has been facing scrutiny as many refugees, including those from Ukraine, have been stopped at the Southern Border and detained in some cases. 

On Tuesday, NBC reported that it was not yet clear what authority President Joe Biden would invoke in order to expedite the entry of Ukrainians.

Reportedly, the White House was considering both humanitarian parole, which is a presidential power that does not guarantee permanent legal status, as well as the Priority-2 designation program, which has previously been used for Afghans and others fleeing war zones.

The White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan noted that the president “will announce further American contributions to a coordinated humanitarian response to ease the suffering of the civilians inside Ukraine and to respond to the growing flow of refugees.”

Several refugee resettlement agencies and human rights groups have now challenged the administration to act quickly in order to have Ukrainians admitted into the states and to make the same promise to bring in other nationalities stranded in difficult circumstances.