Jimmie Johnson Reporter

“Our new home”: Ukrainians, Russians seek asylum at US-Mexico border

Apr 04, 2022

Jimmie Johnson Reporter

By Jimmie Johnson (Reporter), Dan Reardon (Video Editor)

Ukrainians and Russians are fleeing their countries in record numbers and seeking asylum in America. A growing number of the refugees have attempted to enter the U.S. from a border crossing in Tijuana, Mexico.

Refugees hope to call America home

“We’re just trying to decide where our new home will be,” a Ukrainian refugee said. “We have to rebuild our lives from the bottom, from the very beginning. It is extremely… I even shake when I talk about this.”

According to the Department of Homeland Security, more than 7,191 Russians and 1,301 Ukrainian have sought refuge in the U.S. since October 2021.

How are refugees getting here?

“I have one client who we are filing for asylum,” immigration attorney Andres Mejer said. “It took them weeks to get here. And by here, I mean to the southern border, get interviewed by Customs and Border Patrol agent and then detained and ultimately released and now filing for the right to stay.”

In May 2021, President Joe Biden raised asylum seeker admissions from a record low of 15,000 under former President Donald Trump to 125,000 a year.

Mejer said asylum applications and approvals have risen significantly relative to last year. As a result, he’s walking several Russian and Ukrainian families through this challenging process.

Some refugees made decisions before the war began

“So we pretended we were going on vacation to Mexico and then flew to Tijuana,” Maksim Derzhko, a Russian asylum seeker and anti-war activist, explained.

Mejer said many of the refugees fled well before the war.

“None of them said, ‘Oh, we knew the war was coming, and that’s why we came,’” Mejer said. “It’s, ‘My life has gotten difficult here, the things that you used to be able to do now I can’t, I can’t raise my family in safety.’”

DHS grants Ukrainians Temporary Protective Status

According to DHS, any Ukrainian refugee seeking asylum in the U.S. because of the ongoing war can apply for Temporary Protective Status. The department has also granted Ukrainians who entered before the war protective status for 18 months.

Tags: Immigration, Joe Biden

JIMMIE JOHNSON: FROM DEADLY AIRSTRIKES IN UKRAINE TO CRIPPLING FINANCIAL SANCTIONS IN RUSSIA, THOUSANDS OF REFUGEES ARE SEEKING ASYLUM AT THE US-MEXICO BORDER.

UKRAINIAN ASYLUM SEEKER: “We’re just trying to decide where our new home will be. We have to rebuild our lives from the bottom, from the very beginning. It is extremely… I even shake when I talk about this.”

JIMMIE: HOW ARE THE REFUGEES GETTING HERE? LET’S GET THIS STRAIGHT.

ANDRES MEJER: “I have one client who we are filing for asylum.”

JIMMIE: IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY ANDRES MEJER SAYS HE’S ASSISTING AT LEAST A DOZEN RUSSIAN AND UKRAINIAN FAMILIES WITH ASYLUM APPLICATIONS.

ANDRES: “It took them weeks to get here. And by here I mean to the southern border, get interviewed by Customs and Border Patrol agent and then detained and ultimately released and now filing for the right to stay.”

MANY REFUGEES ARE BOOKING ONE-WAY FLIGHTS TO MEXICO, BUYING THROWAWAY VEHICLES AND MAKING THEIR WAY TO THE BORDER.

SINCE OCTOBER, MORE THAN SEVENTY-ONE HUNDRED [7,191] RUSSIANS

AND 13-HUNDRED [1301] UKRAINIANS HAVE SOUGHT REFUGE IN THE U-S, ACCORDING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY.

THESE NUMBERS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY UP COMPARED TO THIS SAME TIME LAST YEAR.

IN PART BECAUSE PRESIDENT BIDEN RAISED THE LIMIT FOR ASYLUM SEEKERS TO 125 THOUSAND AFTER FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP CUT IT DOWN TO A RECORD LOW OF 15 THOUSAND A YEAR.

THE MAJORITY OF THEM ARE ATTEMPTING TO LEGALLY ENTER THE U-S FROM A BORDER CROSSING IN TIJUANA, MEXICO.

MAKSIM DERZHKO: “So we pretended we were going on vacation to Mexico and then we flew to Tijuana.”

JIMMIE: MEJER SAYS MANY OF THEM WERE FLEEING WELL BEFORE THE WAR.

ANDRES: “none of them said, “Oh, we knew the war was coming and that’s why we came. It’s my life has gotten difficult here, the things that you used to be able to do now I can’t, I can’t raise my family in safety.”

JIMMIE: UKRAINIANS SEEKING REFUGE IN THE U.S. BECAUSE OF THE ONGOING WAR CAN APPLY FOR TEMPORARY PROTECTIVE STATUS. D-H-S IS ALSO ALLOWING UKRAINIANS WHO ENTERED BEFORE THE WAR PROTECTIVE STATUS FOR 18-MONTHS.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE U-S GRANTING THIS STATUS TO UKRAINIAN REFUGEES? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW.