U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) joined a bipartisan contingent of his colleagues in urging President Joe Biden to support a coalition working to bring hundreds of Ukrainian orphans and their caretakers to the United States.
“We must uphold our commitment to do everything in our power to protect our ally Ukraine, including the innocent Ukrainian mothers and children fleeing their war-torn country,” Rep. Fitzpatrick said in a March 28 statement. “I strongly urge the administration to support the coalition of Ukrainian Americans in their efforts to transport roughly 600 vulnerable Ukrainian orphans and their caretakers to the U.S. and grant them temporary refuge so they may remain out of harm’s way.”
The coalition of Ukrainian Americans working to bring the Ukrainian orphans and caretakers to America aims to establish an educational camp at an appropriate U.S. facility until it is safe for them to return home to Ukraine, according to a March 22 letter the lawmakers sent to Biden.
“As Vladimir Putin’s regime continues to wage an illegal war of aggression against Ukrainian civilians, we have seen increasingly flagrant violations of international humanitarian law — including the shelling of hospitals, schools, residential apartment buildings, and at least one orphanage,” the members wrote. “Given this situation, it is clear to us that any viable efforts to safely evacuate children and other vulnerable members of the Ukrainian population for humanitarian purposes should receive our fullest support.”
In addition to Rep. Fitzpatrick, the bipartisan members of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee who traveled to the Poland-Ukraine border and other signatories of the letter included House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Ranking Member Michael McCaul (R-TX), and U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO).
In their letter, the lawmakers acknowledged that it would be a complex operation involving the orphans and their caretakers securing transit out of Ukraine and necessary Ukrainian government approvals related to the safe movement of orphans; processing visas for those who are eligible by the U.S. State Department; an agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense to allow the use of a military facility for these purposes; and additional support from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and other federal departments and agencies.
“We ask that you work with us to identify the best path forward to address the safety concerns of these vulnerable Ukrainian orphans and to convene the necessary U.S. government agencies and resources to ensure success,” wrote Rep. Fitzpatrick and his colleagues.