WASHINGTON–U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, on Tuesday urged U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas to exercise humanitarian parole in order to expedite the evacuation of Ukrainian nationals who have approved visa petitions but are stuck in the backlog.

“I fully support ongoing efforts to provide additional military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, and we must continue to explore all possible ways to assist the Ukrainian people. Specifically, I understand there are Ukrainians in the family and employment-based immigration system for whom a visa is not yet available. I urge you to assess the number of Ukrainian nationals waiting in these backlogs and exercise humanitarian parole to allow them to quickly escape this dangerous warzone and enter the United States,” Murphy said.

Murphy continued: “The Immigration and Nationality Act authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to grant parole for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefits to any person applying for admission to the United States. Using parole to immediately bring Ukrainian nationals with approved visa petitions into the United States would help reunify families and save lives.”

“I ask that you expeditiously determine the number of Ukrainian nationals who have approved visa petitions and use parole to facilitate their immediate travel to the United States,” Murphy concluded.

The full text of the letter is available here and below.

Dear Secretary Blinken and Secretary Mayorkas:

In recent weeks the world has watched the situation on the ground in Ukraine rapidly deteriorate, with civilians caught in the conflict exposed to extreme personal danger. I fully support ongoing efforts to provide additional military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, and we must continue to explore all possible ways to assist the Ukrainian people. Specifically, I understand there are Ukrainians in the family and employment-based immigration system for whom a visa is not yet available. I urge you to assess the number of Ukrainian nationals waiting in these backlogs and exercise humanitarian parole to allow them to quickly escape this dangerous warzone and enter the United States.

The Immigration and Nationality Act authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to grant parole for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefits to any person applying for admission to the United States. Using parole to immediately bring Ukrainian nationals with approved visa petitions into the United States would help reunify families and save lives.

President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has threatened the safety and stability of Ukraine and Europe more broadly. Russia’s military has deployed indiscriminate attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine, including civilian evacuation routes. I have seen credible reports of Russians shooting Ukrainian civilians and shelling civilian targets - deliberate or reckless attacks that can be prosecuted for war crimes. More than ten million Ukrainians have already fled their homes and the United Nations estimates that 18 million people will need humanitarian assistance.

I ask that you expeditiously determine the number of Ukrainian nationals who have approved visa petitions and use parole to facilitate their immediate travel to the United States.

Sincerely, 

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