Tag Archives: refugee crisis

Roll Call reports: The Biden administration announced a new program Thursday that would offer relief to Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion by allowing Americans to sponsor them for temporary admission to the U.S. Under the Homeland Security Department program, dubbed “Uniting for Ukraine,” American individuals and groups, including nonprofit organizations and churches, will apply to sponsor displaced Ukrainian citizens. The application …

The Associated Press reports: As the United States prepares to accept up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees following Russia’s invasion of their country, existing communities in cities like Sacramento and Seattle are already mobilizing to provide food, shelter and support to those fleeing the war. “No refugee is waiting for you to be ready for them,” said Eduard Kislyanka, senior pastor …

The Hill reports: President Biden on Saturday met with Ukrainian refugees who have fled to Poland in recent weeks, getting a firsthand look at the humanitarian crisis sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Biden toured PGE Narodowy Stadium in Warsaw, which is accommodating scores of refugees who have crossed over the border as Russia destroys cities and targets civilian spaces …

Mediaite reports: Laura Ingraham is not fan of President Joe Biden’s pledge to accept up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees who have fled as Russia continues to wage a war of aggression on the country. “The Biden administration announced yesterday that we would welcome a hundred thousand Ukrainian refugees,” she said. “Obviously, a heartbreak for the people in Ukraine, and it …

The Washington Post reports: President Biden, who is holding emergency talks with NATO leaders in Brussels, is expected to announce plans for the United States to accept 100,000 Ukrainian refugees and others fleeing Russia’s invasion, according to two senior administrations official briefed on the plan, who said exact numbers could change. The conflict has now displaced half of Ukraine’s children, …

The New York Times reports: Almost 90,000 Brits have signed up to host Ukrainian refugees in their homes, less than a day after the British government launched a new initiative for Britons to sponsor Ukrainian refugees. The “Homes for Ukraine,” as the new program is known, launched on Monday afternoon, and within six hours, 44,000 Brits had signed up before …

The New York Times reports: In less than three weeks since the start of Russia’s invasion, more than 2.8 million people have fled Ukraine, according to the United Nations refugee agency. Most of them have flowed into five neighboring countries. Poland has taken in the bulk of refugees, about 1.7 million people. With many more expected to come, President Andrzej …

The New York Times reports: Can play help refugee children heal from trauma? That’s the belief behind a new partnership formed by the Lego Foundation, Sesame Workshop and organizations working with Syrian and Rohingya refugees. In its first major humanitarian project, announced on Wednesday, the foundation will provide $100 million over five years to the makers of “Sesame Street” to …

Reuters reports: The U.S. State Department has told refugee agencies it will sharply pare back the number of offices across the country authorized to resettle people in 2018 as President Donald Trump cuts the number of refugees allowed into the United States. The announcement was made at a Dec. 1 meeting in Washington with State Department officials and representatives from …

The Trump administration last week pulled out of the United Nations Global Compact On Migration, a 2016 193-nation agreement “pledging to uphold the rights of refugees, help them resettle and ensure they had access to education and jobs.” And in standard Trumpian hypocrisy, today we get this from the State Department: Sixty-nine years ago today, in the aftermath of World …

The Guardian reports: The Trump administration has pulled out of the United Nations’ ambitious plans to create a more humane global strategy on migration, saying involvement in the process interferes with American sovereignty, and runs counter to US immigration policies. The US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, informed the UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, at the weekend that Donald …

The Associated Press reports: A federal judge in Hawaii has put President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban on hold. U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson issued his ruling Wednesday after hearing arguments on Hawaii’s request for a temporary restraining order involving the ban. His ruling prevents the executive order from going into effect Thursday. More than half a dozen states are …

The travel ban needs its own very special moment. It’s all show business, all the time. New York Magazine reports: In his speech to Congress on Tuesday night, President Trump defended his travel ban, and said his administration has been “working on improved vetting procedures, and we will shortly take new steps to keep our nation safe — and to …

From a Bloomberg report that’s mostly about White House advisor Stephen Miller: Over the last few weeks, Trump’s White House has exploded in chaos and infighting—a situation Miller exacerbated by helping to mastermind the sudden and much-criticized rollout of Trump’s Jan. 27 executive order banning refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries, which federal judges swiftly blocked. In fact, it was no …

The Week reports: Fox News held an immigration town hall event in Jacksonville, Florida, on Tuesday night, and host Martha MacCallum started off by asking White House policy adviser Stephen Miller via satellite about President Trump’s coming replacement executive order limiting immigration from seven majority-Muslim countries and refugees. “So how is it going to be different this time?” she asked. …

ABC New York reports: A banner reading “Refugees Welcome” was unfurled on the Statue of Liberty Tuesday afternoon. The banner, approximately 20 feet by 3 feet, was spotted on the pedestal just before 1 p.m., affixed by nylon rope to the wall of the public observation deck at the base of the statue. Rangers, alerted to its presence, immediately made …

The Hill reports: President Trump’s revised executive order temporarily barring citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. will be phased in and will likely exempt green-card holders, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said Saturday. “The president is contemplating issuing a tighter, more streamlined version of the first [executive order],” Kelly said at the Munich Security Conference, according to …

The Associated Press reports: President Donald Trump’s administration said in court documents on Thursday it does not want a larger appellate panel to review a ruling keeping its travel ban on hold and will instead replace the ban. “In so doing, the president will clear the way for immediately protecting the country rather than pursuing further, potentially time-consuming litigation,” the …

The Hill reports: The Trump administration is not currently planning to appeal a temporary hold on his travel ban to the Supreme Court, a White House official said Friday. But the White House said it will forge ahead on the broader battle against a lawsuit challenging the executive order. The administration plans to continue its defense of the order on …

The Hill reports: President Trump on Wednesday said there has been a large increase of people come into the U.S. from “certain areas” as federal judges are weighing whether a court order blocking the president’s travel ban should be lifted. “Big increase in traffic into our country from certain areas, while our people are far more vulnerable, as we wait …