Biden Administration

Nearly 6,000 Ukrainians Approved to Enter U.S. Through Biden Admin's Uniting for Ukraine Website

The online portal launched on April 25

MEXICO-US-UKRAINE-IMMIGRATION
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

The Department of Homeland Security has approved nearly 6,000 Ukrainians to enter the U.S. through an online application system that lets them gain legal authorization to fly to U.S. airports and then stay with Americans who have agreed to sponsor them, the agency said Monday. 

The online portal, known as Uniting for Ukraine, launched on April 25 as part of President Joe Biden’s stated goal to bring 100,000 people fleeing Russia’s deadly invasion to the U.S.

The launch of the website meant the closure of a popular but dangerous and illegal route many Ukrainians had taken via the U.S.-Mexico border, where, after entering Mexico on a tourist visa, they were transported from camps in Tijuana into California. 

President Biden said his request for an additional $33 billion in military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine reflects the importance of the mission. What else does it tell us about what’s ahead? NBCLX storyteller Clark Fouraker talked to Arik Burakovsky of Tufts University's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy to put the request in perspective.

For more on this story, go to NBC News.

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