Don’t Abandon the People We Welcomed: American Sponsors Sound the Alarm

Sponsors call on political leaders for urgent action as confusion grows and protections for newcomers expire

WASHINGTON, D.C.—American sponsors are demanding answers and asking lawmakers to develop commonsense solutions to protect newcomers they have welcomed through legal, government-authorized private sponsorship programs. Last month, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security sent emails to an unknown number of Ukrainian refugees stating that their legal status had been terminated and that they must leave the United States immediately. While the notice was retracted 24 hours later, it left many confused and fearful. Ongoing threats of deportation for newcomers who followed the rules—and continued government inaction to protect Ukrainians from being forced to return to an active war zone—are endangering the lives of thousands of newcomers who are actively contributing to their local communities.

The American sponsors across the country who have stepped up to welcome these newcomers remain steadfast in urging the Trump Administration and Congressional leaders to protect the ability of these individuals and families to live and work safely in the United States, emphasizing how the sponsorship model has allowed private citizens to be directly engaged in finding constructive solutions to the immigration crisis that balance order, opportunity, and national interest.

Curtis Lee (Hartsville, South Carolina) and Angela Boelens (Dewitt, Iowa) on CNN: Ukrainians who fled war and the US communities that welcomed them fear they may be uprooted under Trump

“They have become such an integral part of our community,’ [Curtis] Lee told CNN, noting at least one company that relies on skilled labor from resettled Ukrainians. "People just embraced it. And it’s going to tear us apart if that happens."

Lee warned that the US government ‘doing nothing will actually force many of them to leave.’ [...] Lee, who said he is a registered Republican, believes the U4U program aligns with the Trump administration’s priorities. Because of the sponsorship aspect, it has a relatively low cost for the US government. Boelens described the program as "the right kind of refugee program, handled perfectly.”

Dan Parks (Wilmington, North Carolina) on WHQR Public Media: Ukrainians in Wilmington are uncertain about their future

“I mean, we’ve been talking to congressmen, senators, and we’re not trying to say anything bad about the present administration, but we just want to say, ‘Hey, listen, we brought these people here legally. And I know humanitarian parole can end on a moment’s notice, which it did, but we can’t send them back to war zones. Good heavens, these people are working. They’ve got jobs; they’re paying taxes. Some of them have bought homes…’"

Parks said he wanted to resettle more families, but he can’t under the new federal policies.

Annette Luther (St. Paul, Minnesota) in The Minnesota Star Tribune: Ukrainian newcomers have done nothing wrong—they deserve assurance that they will be protected.

“I’m sponsoring a Ukrainian family who was living on the front lines of the war and has rebuilt their lives here over the last two years. Imagine the trauma it creates to receive a threatening email saying you are no longer welcome in this country.

“They’ve learned English and the adults have jobs working as an auto mechanic and at a spa. Their kids go to our local public school. They pay taxes. They are exactly the people we all want as neighbors.

“We still don’t know if the administration plans to revoke their legal status and deport them back to a war zone. America is better than this. Ukrainian newcomers have done nothing wrong—they came here legally, are fully vetted and contribute to our communities. And they deserve clarity and assurance that they will be protected.”

Justin Reese (Tyler, Texas) in The Guardian: ‘Hope in my heart’: big Texas welcome for displaced Afghans on hold as Trump freezes refugee programs

Reese and his family knew that they wanted to participate in the Welcome Corps. A software developer by trade, he had spent the better part of a decade learning about the politics and policy of offering refuge...

“[The beneficiaries] were nearing the finish line. We didn’t have any certainty, they hadn’t actually been approved and travel wasn’t being scheduled yet. But we were right there—everything, all the screening, was done... By every metric, they have played by the rules and they are being treated like this," said Reese. "It’s very damaging to them individually, and it’s damaging, I think, to the future security of the US, for us to be seen as this mercurial, as this incoherent.”

Prithvi Mulchandani (Arlington, Virginia) in the Richmond Times-Dispatch: Letter: Sponsoring refugees is a lifeline worth preserving

“My story shows that sponsorship doesn’t have to be done alone—family, friends and communities are coming together to sponsor in every corner of our country. Sponsorship programs provide legal pathways for refugees to rebuild their lives and strengthen our communities.

“But recent reports indicate that Uniting for Ukraine beneficiaries could soon have their legal status revoked. This move would not only leave thousands of vulnerable people in limbo, it would abandon our country’s proud legacy as a beacon of hope and deny us the contributions of newcomers like Tetiana and Serhii.”

Gina Nelson (Moorhead, Minnesota) and Michael Southam (Fargo, North Dakota) in InForum: Homeland Security email error prompts 'terror and panic' for Moorhead woman from Ukraine

“These are people who are on a mental roller coaster, every day, regardless, because of the active war their country is still engaged in," Southam said.

The Moorhead woman who got the letter couldn’t speak on camera on Monday, but wrote, 'I stayed silent, I couldn’t speak. I got dressed and went to work. On the outside, calm. On the inside, panic, despair, a silent scream. Not again...please, not again," she wrote.

“For her to get that letter and say that she needs to leave and the way it said, 'We will find you,’” said Gina Nelson, founder of Lilac Homes in Moorhead and a sponsor and employer of Ukrainians.

Welcome New Neighbors Private Sponsor Group (Saint Paul, Minnesota) in the Midway Como Frogtown Monitor: Letters: Welcome Corps paused by executive order

Sponsorship has a profound impact on sponsors and refugees alike. It forges relationships and tight-knit communities, strengthens our nation’s economy and social fabric, and demonstrates the good old American values of humanity and welcoming the stranger. As sponsors, we have felt such pride in helping people leave unimaginable difficulty for the promise of a better future in the United States.

Welcome Corps was paused by executive order on January 20. We are determined to speak up for refugees and invite Americans of all backgrounds to join us in contacting federal representatives to ask them to reinstate this valuable program.

Blair Anderson (Iron County, Michigan) on WZMQ-TV: Helping Ukrainian refugees find safety in the UP

“The current political climate has made those refugees fortunate enough to escape Ukraine uneasy about the future.

“It’s causing additional trauma to these families. Number one, can they leave? And number two, can they stay here, even though they’ve been approved by US customers and Immigration Service," said Anderson.

Joshua Light (Panhandle, Texas) in NBC News: Haitians who fled mass violence await judge’s decision on Trump's deportation order

Joshua Light, the pastor of First Baptist Church Panhandle, met Jean in 2020 during a mission trip to Haiti, where Jean worked as a translator. The couple’s kindness left a lasting impression on the pastor.

His church also helped bring the Jeans to the U.S. under humanitarian parole. Now, Light and the congregation are concerned about the possibility of their deportation...

“I’m a Republican, but I understand that Kevinson and Sherlie are good people who deserve to stay,” he said, emphasizing that compassion should transcend political boundaries.

Angela Boelens (DeWitt, Iowa) in the Clinton Herald: Liberty Bell goes to IA NICE

“One of the things I think that has made our organization and integration of these families so successful," Boelens said, "is that we share common values of hard work.”

Amidst the implementation of the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda, however, the IA NICE organization has begun working with policy-makers to craft and propose sustainable bipartisan policies that enable states like Iowa to benefit from legal controlled immigration and humanitarian efforts.

“There have been a few changes in our policy recently that have put some of our families at risk of losing their legal status here in the United States," Boelens said. "Some of the families will actually become illegally present in just a matter of days.”

Welcome.US has previously highlighted the voices of American sponsors calling for common-sense solutions to protect private sponsorship programs, here and here.