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Annette's avatar

I have sponsored 6 Ukrainians (parents and young children) to come to the U.S. and find safety from the war. They came legally through the U4U program, a humanitarian parole process, which gives them two years of status in the U.S. from date of arrival. I fundraised among my friends to cover the initial cost of their flights and initial needs and found them housing, got their kids enrolled in schools, helped them find jobs. They are now all working and living their lives safely in the U.S. But Trump is threatening to revoke their paroles immediately (they all still have over a year left on their original paroles) and send them back to Ukraine, where the war raging. The men who are sent back will go straight to the front, as they are immediately drafted into the military and sent in with very little training. They will almost certainly die.

Bill Clinton signed the Budapest Memorandum in 1994, in which Ukraine agreed to disarm its nuclear weapons in exchange for an assurance that Russia would not attack it (humph) and the U.S. and U.N. would ensure its protection. There is no doubt that if Ukraine still had its nuclear weapons, Russia would not have attacked.

America owes a specific debt to Ukraine for its decision to disarm. I want these immigrants' stories to be told and America to understand why we need to both support Ukrainian war efforts and provide permanent legal status to the refugees who fled here. (At the very least, don't revoke their parole before the promised two years are up!)

Timothy Snyder is an expert on all of this and would be a great guest on the show.

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Dextersmom's avatar

My main takeaway: this article covered what MAGA Cortes IS DOING, versus what democrats are concerned about and think OUGHT TO BE DONE. See the difference? This is why we are f-cked.

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