Ukrainian family denied entry at U.S. border after fleeing war


A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
A Ukrainian family seeking asylum from the war back home was turned away from the U.S. border in San Diego on Wednesday after attempting to reach family in California, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
A spokesperson from Customs and Border Protection told the Union-Tribune that the agency is "looking into the situation."
"I'm not asking for anything from the United States, just to be let in," the 34-old-mother, who requested she be identified as Sofiia, told the Union-Tribune. "All we need is to be safe. All we want is to keep our lives safe." She is accompanied by her three children ages 14, 12, and 6.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Though the U.S. has offered "temporary protected status" to Ukrainians already in the states when Russia's invasion first began, the coverage does not apply to subsequent arrivals.
That means "any Ukrainians who manage to flee to the U.S. border will have to navigate the same restrictions that have sent other asylum seekers back to Mexico," the Union-Tribune writes, "where thousands of asylum seekers have faced kidnappings, assaults and other violent attacks."
Sofiia said "it was my luck" that she left when she did. Her family still in Ukraine has told her they're running out of food, medicine, and gas.
The family was reportedly denied entry when a relative, a U.S. citizen, came to pick them up, and again when Sofiia tried to request asylum through the pedestrian lane at San Ysidro Port of Entry. Even when immigration lawyers who overheard the situation got involved, nothing changed.
"We left our lives, our jobs, our families and houses in Ukraine just to escape from this horrible war," she said. "All my friends and family are far, far away from me, and I don't know if they will be alive tomorrow. I just want to keep my kids' lives safe."
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Brigid is a staff writer at The Week and a graduate of Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Her passions include improv comedy, David Fincher films, and breakfast food. She lives in New York.
-
Tuberville's military promotions block is upending lives, combat readiness, 3 military branch chiefs say
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
A brief timeline of Russia's war in Ukraine
In Depth How the Kremlin's plan for a quick conquest turned into a quagmire
By Peter Weber Published
-
Yevgeny Prigozhin: will ‘predictable’ death of Wagner chief backfire on Putin?
Today's Big Question Analysts say Russian president faces growing danger from advisers and risk of revenge from Wagner fighters
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
Ukraine's counteroffensive is making incremental gains. Does it matter in the broader war?
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
How the collapse of the ruble could impact the war in Ukraine
Talking Point Will it hurt Putin's war or is it merely symbolic?
By Justin Klawans Published
-
How much is the Russia-Ukraine war costing?
In Depth Kyiv faces $400 billion rebuilding bill and military spending could soon catch up with Russia’s economy
By Richard Windsor Published
-
Why Putin is weaponising grain in the war with Ukraine
Under the Radar Russian president’s use of food as a strategic weapon could prove brutally effective
By The Week Staff Published
-
Ukraine war: who is winning?
feature Kyiv reports some counter-offensive success but progress remains slow
By Sorcha Bradley Published