ADMINISTRATION NOW IS OFFERING
SOMETHING CALLED TEMPORARY
PROTECTED STATUS TO
UKRAINIANS. WHO'D BEEN LIVING
HERE IN THE U.S. WITHOUT LEGAL
STATUS. SO WHAT DOES THIS
MEAN, RIGHT. PUT THIS INTO
CONCRETE TERMS. IT MEANS THAT
THE ROUGHLY 30,000 UKRAINIANS
HAVE BEEN HERE SINCE BEFORE
MARCH 1ST. WE'LL HAVE TO BE
DEPORTED. THEY CAN STAY AND
WORK FOR ANOTHER 18 MONTHS.
AND WHILE SOME ADVOCACY GROUPS
ARE APPLAUDING THAT MOVE. SOME
ARE ALSO WONDERING WHY THE
U.S. HAS NOT MOVED AS FAST FOR
PEOPLE HERE FROM NON-EUROPEAN
COUNTRIES WHEN THEY'VE BEEN
BASICALLY BEGGING FOR THIS
EXACT SAME STATUS. FOR MONTHS.
VAUGHN HILLYARD HAS THE STORY.
>> MASSES OF PEOPLE FLEEING
UKRAINE.
>> UKRAINE IN LIKE A THAT'S
WHY RE GIRLS INTO ANOTHER
COUNTRY MORE THAN A MILLION
REFUGEES HAVE FLED UKRAINE TO
NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES.
>> BUT WHAT EXACTLY IS THE
U.S. PREPARED TO ACTUALLY DO
FOR THOSE FLEEING RUSSIA'S
PERSECUTION IN THEIR HOME
COUNTRY GIVEN THE BIPARTISAN
SUPPORT FOR UKRAINIANS. I
THINK THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY
TO ACTUALLY BUILD THAT
PIPELINE ON THURSDAY. THE U.S.
GRANTED TEMPORARY PROTECTED
STATUS TO THE ESTIMATED 30,000
UKRAINIANS.
>> ALREADY IN THE COUNTRY BUT
NOT HERE ON VISAS. WE WILL BE
PROVIDING TEMPORARY PROTECTED
STATUS. TPS TO THOSE UKRAINIAN
NATIONALS WHO ARE PRESENT IN
THE UNITED STATES AS OF MARCH.
1ST OF THIS YEAR.
>> BUT THE U.S. HAS NOT
OFFERED A SPECIAL PATH FOR
CURRENT UKRAINIANS TO COME TO
THE U.S. AS REFUGEES INSTEAD,
THE U.S. HAS SENT MILLIONS OF
DOLLARS IN AID FOOD, HEALTH
CARE SUPPLIES, BLANKETS AND
DEPLOYED A DISASTER RELIEF
TEAM TO THE REGION.
>> WE'RE PROVIDING SUPPORT TO
UKRAINIANS AND THEIR FIGHT FOR
FREEDOM. MILITARY ASSISTANCE,
ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE,
HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE.
>> BUT THIS PLACE IS THE U.S.
IS POLICY TOWARD REFUGEES AND
ASYLUM SEEKERS UNDER SCRUTINY
AGAIN OVER THE LAST 6 MONTHS.
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION. HE'S
FLOWN THOUSANDS OF HAITIANS
FROM THE U.S. SOUTHERN BORDER
TO HAITI IN FISCAL YEAR 2021
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
WELCOMED JUST 11,411 REFUGEES
WHEN PRESIDENT OBAMA LEFT
OFFICE. THE NUMBER INTO THE
U.S. EACH YEAR. A 110,000 BY
2020 TRUMP HAD CUT THAT NUMBER
TO JUST 15,000 PRESIDENT TRUMP
EVEN SIGNING AN ORDER
SUSPENDING ADMISSION OF SYRIAN
REFUGEES INTO THE U.S. DURING
THE COUNTRY'S LONG DEADLY
CIVIL WAR.
>> HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE US
POLICY TOWARDS REFUGEES IN THE
LAST 20 YEARS, UNITED STATES
HAD HAD BEEN A COUNTRY THAT
PROVIDE A RESETTLEMENT TO THE
MOST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD. AND
THAT REALLY DECLINED.
>> VAUGHN HILLYARD IS JOINING
US NOW IS A LOT OF GLAD YOU'RE
HERE WITH US. YOU KNOW, WE
HEARD IN YOUR REPORT, PEOPLE
WHO WANT THE GOVERNMENT TO
GIVE. SIMILAR STATUS RIGHT.
SIMILAR RELIEF TO NOT
EUROPEAN. PEOPLE NOT BRING
COUNTRIES HERE, AFGHAN AFGHANS
PATIENTS, FOR EXAMPLE. WHAT IS
YOUR SENSE BASED ON THE
REPORTING YOU'VE DONE ON THIS
ISSUE THAT THE NEEDLES GOING
TO MOVE ON THAT FRONT GIVEN
WHAT WE JUST SAW WITH
UKRAINIANS.
>> RIGHT. I THINK, ALI, THAT
THE REFUGEE ADVOCATES HAVE
TALKED TO HOPE THAT THIS
PROPELS THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION AGENCIES THAT
LARGELY VIEW REFUGEE PROGRAMS
WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT LARGELY
BEEN CRIPPLED, ESPECIALLY OVER
THE COURSE OF THE TRUMP YEARS
AND WHICH SERVICES DWINDLED.
THEY HOPE THAT THIS HELPS
PROPEL THOSE AGENCIES AND THAT
TO REALLY NOT ONLY TAKE A HARD
LOOK AT WHAT THE U.S. CAN
PROVIDE FOR UKRAINIAN REFUGEES
POTENTIALLY. BUT ALSO WHEN
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT NATION
MIGRANTS WERE TALKING ABOUT
OTHER INDIVIDUALS FROM LATIN
AMERICA HERE. ACTUALLY JUST
THIS AFTERNOON, ALI, THERE IS
BREAKING NEWS IN JUST THE LAST
COUPLE OF HOURS. THE U.S.
COURT OF APPEALS ACTUALLY
RULED IT. SO THERE'S THIS
PUBLIC HEALTH FEDERAL LAW
TITLE 42 WHICH THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION HAD USED A OVER
THE COURSE OF THE LAST YEAR TO
JUSTIFY TURNING AWAY A LARGE
NUMBER OF THEM AS MIGRANTS WHO
ARE ARRIVING TO THE U.S.
SOUTHERN BORDER AROUND
PANDEMIC ESSENTIALLY CLAIMING
TO MINIMIZE THE SPREAD OF
COMMUNICABLE DISEASE HERE. BUT
NOW WITH THAT WHICH MAKES IT
MORE DIFFICULT FOR THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION TO TURN
INDIVIDUALS AWAY AT THE U.S.
SOUTHERN USING THE PANDEMIC.
SOME JUSTIFICATION. THE HOPE
IS THAT NOT ONLY HERE WITH
POTENTIALLY THESE UKRAINIAN
REFUGEES THAT COULD COME TO
THE UNITED STATES BUT ALSO
THOSE SEEKING ASYLUM HERE AT
THE U.S. BORDER THAT THIS WILL
INCREASE NOW NOW THAT THIS IS
A GREATER FOCUS FOR THE
AMERICAN PUBLIC ON HOW YOUR
FLAT FOR US ON THIS POND.