The government led by Joe Biden announced this Thursday a plan to accelerate the arrival in the United States of Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war, according to NBC News, as well as a new $800 million military aid package for that country.
The new plan will require Ukrainians to have a sponsor in the United States who can "attest to their ability to support them," according to a senior administration official.
An online portal will open on April 25, allowing sponsors to submit documents as part of a process to ensure that Ukrainians can be sponsored but that sponsors do not seek to exploit those they host.
That affidavit will be reviewed by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and, if the sponsors are approved, the next steps will begin, including the delivery of vaccination documentation for the refugees.
So far, thousands of Ukrainians have crossed the Mexican border illegally in hopes of applying for asylum once they reach US soil.
But the US will no longer let in those who show up at the border.
The government believes most Ukrainians will want to seek refuge in Europe and return home as soon as it is safe to do so, so the US does not need to provide the level of support to refugees that countries like Poland have done.
Refugee advocates have called on the government to provide a legal pathway to the country and to grant permanent legal status to those who come.
They have argued that the humanitarian permit granted to Afghans who fled the Taliban's takeover last fall has not provided them job security and protection in the United States.