Ukrainians Seeking Asylum At The US-Mexico Border Are Caught In The Middle Of A Legal Quagmire
Ihor Solomko paced back and forth outside the San Ysidro Port of Entry on the US-Mexico border Tuesday, eagerly awaiting news from his eldest daughter, who was halted by border officials as she sought to enter the US early that morning after escaping war-torn Ukraine.
Since 2016, when Solomko and his wife obtained green cards and moved permanently to Wisconsin with their youngest daughter, the family has been divided. Their older daughter had lived in Ukraine with her husband for two years and hadn't seen her parents.
"I'm in a lot of pain. "I'm having trouble thinking straight," Solomko admitted. "All I want to do is embrace my daughter."
Hundreds of Ukrainians residing in the United States hurried to pick up loved ones at the US-Mexico border, which has become a flashpoint in recent weeks for Eastern Europeans expecting to be welcomed instantly.
However, conflicting information from the Biden administration is overshadowing humanitarian efforts, leaving thousands of people in legal limbo, unable to seek asylum and making it difficult for loved ones in the United States to contact relatives who are being detained or processed by immigration officials.
Julia Bikbova, a Chicago-based immigration lawyer working pro bono at the border, said, "They're sending a message not to come here."