The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed on Thursday, March 10, that a Ukrainian mother and her three children had been allowed into the United States after being barred earlier by American authorities from entering the country at the Mexico border.
The plight of the Ukrainian family gained national attention when the San Diego-Union Tribune reported that they were turned away by U.S. border officials in San Diego, California, on Wednesday, March 9.
The Ukrainian family of four, who were trying to seek asylum from the Russian invasion, had to turn back to Mexico because of a widely criticized pandemic measure by the United States that bars entry to most asylum seekers who arrive at the American border.
Ukrainian family denied entry by U.S. border officials
Sofiia, 34, said that when she fled Ukraine alongside her three children, ages 14, 12, and six, she decided to head to the only family she had outside of her home country. Those family relatives are American citizens who live in California. Much to her shock and horror, Sofiia and her three kids were turned back because of Title 42, a controversial policy first invoked in March 2020 by former President Donald Trump in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the United States offered "temporary protected status" to Ukrainians already present in the country when the Russian invasion started, that protection from deportation, unfortunately, does not extend to anyone who arrives later.
That was the case for Sofiia, who only learned about the strict policy after her family was turned away at the U.S. border twice - once on foot and once in a car. According to Sofiia, a Hebrew teacher in Ukraine, it was all okay in her country until February 24, the day Russia started its invasion.
Once Russian troops started entering Ukraine, Sofiia's family members in California urged her to leave the country. Sofiia and her children did not hesitate to leave Ukraine, leaving behind most of her loved ones, including her mother. She quickly drove her vehicle to Moldova before going to Romania.
Sofiia said it was fortunate she listened to her friends and left a little bit before it got too harsh in Ukraine. Sofiia said the main reason why she decided to leave Ukraine right away was her children. Sofiia was emotional when talking about the family she left behind in Ukraine, saying that they are already running out of food and medicine and there is no gas.
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Homeland Security lets Ukrainian family in after story goes viral
From Romania, the Ukrainian family flew through Frankfurt to Mexico City. Sofiia and her three kids then arrived in Tijuana on Monday. One of her relatives drove down from Los Angeles to pick them up in Mexico and tried to drive them across the U.S. border at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
The family was denied entry despite the relative explaining that they were fleeing the war. They tried to enter the U.S. days later by walking through the pedestrian lane at San Ysidro Port of Entry with the Ukrainian family requesting asylum that way. They were denied entry again, much to their dismay.
Fortunately for Sofiia, Blaine Bookey, the legal director for the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies at UC Hastings, was there to help them in their time of need. Her story soon went viral, forcing the Homeland Security Department to change course and let them in. DHS said the Ukrainian family was allowed into the United States after reviewing the facts of their case.
