Comment Submitted by Anonymous

Our family of five is originally from Ukraine; we have been living in the U.S. under the U4U program for nearly three years. A year and a half ago, we endured immense stress—words cannot describe our feelings and psychological state at the time. We felt hopeless and didn't know how to go on, as the uncertainty surrounding the current administration's immigration policies—specifically regarding U4U arrivals and TPS holders, as well as the freezing of statuses and numerous renewal denials—left us feeling completely defeated. I am grateful to all the Americans who have helped my family and other Ukrainians; however, looking at the current situation, it is obvious that those pushing this bill—seeking to strip us of the right to live and work in the U.S.—show neither compassion nor humanity toward Ukrainians. Many Ukrainians who managed to survive, reach the U.S., and endure the war's early months lost everything: their homes, apartments, jobs, businesses, and savings. They have nowhere to return to in Ukraine, as their former homes are either under occupation or have been destroyed by the aggressor, Russia. Returning to Ukraine—where cities are under constant shelling and people die every day—is tantamount to suicide. My city, Kyiv, is shelled weekly; last winter, it happened almost daily, and it appears the Russians will repeat this tactic in the coming winter. There were periods when the city went weeks without water, gas, heating, or electricity; those with cars were the lucky ones, as they could sleep in them to stay somewhat warm in the cold. And now, this bill aims to strip us of our right to work and our ability to support our families, leaving us no choice but to return to the conditions I described above. I could speak at length about how—and under whose pressure—my country was forced to give up or destroy its nuclear arsenal in exchange for the Budapest Memorandum, and how the very nations that promised peace to our country and people are now simply turning a blind eye, acting as if none of this ever happened. There is a specific word for this—I won’t use the word itself, but I will describe its definition: the deliberate, planned extermination of entire population groups based on nationality, ethnicity, race, or religion. Under UN-ratified laws, this is a heinous international crime. In the current situation—where we are being denied the right to work and the ability to provide for our families and children, and are being pressured to return to a country where there is a high probability of dying in a nighttime shelling—this can be viewed as a partially concealed form of that very thing (refer to the definition above). This is a heartfelt cry born of the current situation. I hope that common sense prevails, that I am heard, and that Ukrainians are allowed to remain in the country until the war ends.