CONCORD, NH – Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander is among 36 bipartisan members of Congress calling on the Trump administration to quickly address applications for legal status and work authorization by Ukrainians currently living in the United States.
Goodlander signed a letter sent July 31 along with 35 fellow Congress members urging Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Joseph Edlow to take action.
In a press release issued by Goodlander’s office on Wednesday, the point was made that since Russia invaded Ukraine, tens of thousands of Ukrainians have sought refuge in the United States through the Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) program. Now, many are seeing their statuses lapse as a massive backlog has developed within US Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Goodlander and the bipartisan group of members are urging the administration to adjudicate outstanding requests for legal status and work authorization and to extend parole for Ukrainians with expiring statuses.
The members wrote, in part in their letter, “After years of being employed, paying taxes, and contributing to our neighborhoods, Ukrainians in our districts now live in uncertainty–a state of limbo that hurts communities and employers alike who’ve sought to help this population.”
