[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 61 (Wednesday, April 6, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H4193-H4194]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   WE MUST WELCOME FLEEING UKRAINIANS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Quigley) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. QUIGLEY. Madam Speaker, this weekend, the world watched in horror 
as the retreat of Russian forces from

[[Page H4194]]

the town of Bucha revealed the scope of the appalling war crimes 
committed by Vladimir Putin's military.
  Journalists and the Ukrainian military discovered mass graves, bodies 
left in the streets, and the evidence of a massacre of civilians. These 
are war crimes.
  We know now, with certainty, what fate awaits Ukrainians who are 
subjected to Russian occupation. The United States must open its doors 
to welcome Ukrainians who are fleeing this invasion.
  As co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, early on in the 
conflict, I and others called on the Biden administration to extend 
temporary protected status to Ukrainians already in the United States. 
I was proud when the President heeded that call and when he 
subsequently increased the refugee cap.
  We must do everything in our power to accept fleeing refugees 
expeditiously. This is a matter of life and death. Over 4 million 
refugees have already fled the violence in Ukraine. Half of those 
refugees are children. Millions more remain trapped in cities and 
villages without access to food, clean water, or medical care.
  We now know that Putin's military is willing to slaughter any 
innocents left behind. It is absolutely critical that the U.S. do 
everything in its power to assist the people of Ukraine. This means 
military assistance, yes, but it also means providing for Ukrainians 
who make the difficult decision to leave their homes behind.
  We must support the nations that are already taking in refugees. 
Allies, like Poland, have already admitted more than 2 million 
Ukrainian refugees into their nation, and we should ensure that Poland 
and other countries that have opened their doors are able to help these 
Ukrainians resettle safely.
  This also means continuing to investigate the reports of refugees of 
color being turned away at border crossings. Here in the U.S., we have 
a long history as a safe harbor for people of the world.
  It has been inspiring to see Americans offer unwavering support for 
Ukraine from the outset of the Russian invasion. I am confident that 
this support will mean Americans will rally together to support any 
Ukrainian refugees who arrive on our shores. As they do, Congress has 
an opportunity to reform our immigration system to be more welcoming to 
individuals around the world who are in need.
  I share the outrage of my constituents who are watching what is 
unfolding in Ukraine. As an advocate for Ukrainians here at home and 
abroad, I am also reminded that there are other atrocities occurring 
around the world. We can, and must, extend the same outrage we have for 
the crimes in Bucha to the crimes in Syria, the conflict in Tigray, the 
famine in Yemen, and the violence in the Northern Triangle. And just as 
we open our doors to Ukrainian refugees, we can, and must, open our 
doors to refugees from around the world.
  In recent weeks, I have urged the Biden administration to end title 
42. This policy allowed the U.S. to use the pandemic as justification 
for expelling migrants without a hearing before an immigration judge. 
The administration just announced last week that they intend to end 
this policy.
  One immediate effect will be that Ukrainians arriving at our borders 
will be able to seek asylum more easily, but, critically, it also means 
that migrants from the global south will no longer be stranded in the 
immigration process. The Federal Government should seek out other 
avenues in which providing recourse for Ukrainians will make our system 
more equitable for all immigrants.
  Since the beginning of the pandemic, foreign citizens seeking entry 
into the U.S. have faced months-long waits for counselor appointments. 
That backlog now threatens to prevent fleeing Ukrainians from reaching 
our shores.
  The lengthy immigrant visa delays have caused many Ukrainians to turn 
to nonimmigrant visas so they can reach temporary safety with family or 
friends in the U.S. Yet, as Ukrainians and other foreign citizens have 
been increasingly forced to utilize nonimmigrant visas, wait times have 
drastically increased.
  Reporting last month showed that wait times in Hungary were 275 days. 
In Moldova, the wait was 329 days. On February 28, the wait in Warsaw, 
Poland, was 86 days. Two days later, the wait was 134 days for visitor 
visas and more than 40 days for other types.
  I sincerely hope the State Department finds a way to dramatically 
decrease processing times for Ukrainians who have fled their homelands, 
but we cannot simply prioritize Ukrainian cases and leave all others 
behind. These wait times impact immigrants, refugees, and asylum 
seekers from around the world. Ukrainians are not the only ones whose 
lives are in danger.
  The tragedy in Ukraine has shone a bright spotlight on the need for 
our entire immigration system to be more inclusive. Congress cannot 
allow this moment to pass without finally addressing the flaws in our 
system. Too many lives hang in the balance for us to do nothing.

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