"The first time Denys's children heard fireworks go off in Spokane, Washington, they were terrified. His kids had grown up about 20 miles from the Russian border, in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, and they knew too well the booms of Russian missile attacks and screeching sounds of Ukrainian air defenses. In 2023, after Russians attacked the hospital where his youngest daughter, Olivia, had recently been born, Denys knew he needed a way out, and fast."
"Launched by former President Joe Biden in 2022, Uniting for Ukraine is a humanitarian parole program. It allowed Ukrainian immigrants to temporarily stay and work in America, two years at a time, so long as they found an American sponsor willing to help support them. In June, however, Denys lost his job not because he did anything wrong, but because the federal government failed to reauthorize his right to work."
Denys and his family fled Kharkiv after Russian attacks and resettled in Spokane through the Uniting for Ukraine humanitarian parole program. The program, launched in 2022, allowed Ukrainians to live and work in the United States for two-year periods with American sponsors. Approximately 240,000 Ukrainians entered the country through the program. Renewals of work authorization and parole have stalled under the current administration, leaving beneficiaries like Denys unable to continue employment despite no wrongdoing. The pause places families at financial risk and creates uncertainty for nearly 1.8 million migrants affected by broader parole policy changes.
Read at www.twincities.com
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