Russia’s bloody invasion of Ukraine continues, with more civilian casualties and displacement every day. Polls show that Americans overwhelmingly side with the Ukrainian people. That begs a question: Why aren’t we doing more to accept Ukrainian refugees?
The war has forced more than 3 million Ukrainians to flee their homes, but, as reported by CNN, the United States has accepted only 690 Ukrainian refugees. The little movement we have made so far on this front has come in the form of allowing Ukrainians already in the U.S. to remain in the country. Unfortunately, our legal immigration system is a broken, dysfunctional, archaic nightmare. President Joe Biden may be able to take some steps to accept more Ukrainians into the U.S., but what we really need is both parties in Congress to come together and pass legislation welcoming several hundred thousand refugees to the U.S.
That might sound like a lot, but it’s actually a tiny blip in a country of more than 330 million people. And no, America isn’t “full.”
The Census found 16 states with declining populations, a recipe for “economic stagnation.” So why not allow states that want to welcome Ukrainian refugees to step up? We could even limit their legal status to that particular state if that would assuage critics’ concerns.
But we must do something. Right now, families who want to sponsor a Ukrainian refugee legally can’t. Why on earth not? There is no national security concern (Ukraine isn’t exactly an ISIS hot spot, after all). Moreover, the U.S. actually has an extremely effective refugee vetting system. Afghan refugees in the U.S. have historically committed crimes at lower rates than native-born Americans. We can quite reasonably expect the same to be true for Ukrainian refugees.
As for the economic impact of refugee resettlement, there’s still a net benefit for the U.S. to open our arms to refugees from Ukraine.
Yes, it is true that refugees use more welfare than other immigrants during their first several years in the U.S. But we could address this valid concern by making these refugees welfare-ineligible shortly after arrival. Regardless, studies show that over the long run, refugees end up working at higher rates than Americans (although at lower wages) and paying more in taxes than they consume in benefits.
We’ve got a win-win opportunity here to help the Ukrainian people and strengthen our own country in the process. The only question is whether our leaders have the moral clarity and political courage to do it.
Brad Polumbo (@Brad_Polumbo) is a co-founder of Based-Politics.com, a co-host of the BasedPolitics podcast, and a Washington Examiner contributor.
