The Russian invasion of Ukraine last year forced over 7.5 million Ukrainians to flee their country, with another 7 million displaced inside Ukraine's borders. Many world leaders opened their doors to those refugees immediately and without much regard for routine criticisms of immigration. The same was true in the United States. When President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. would take in up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees, there was little resistance from figures on the right who otherwise favor tighter immigration policy.
Nearly a year after Biden's announcement, the Department of Homeland Security says that over 271,000 Ukrainian refugees have been admitted to the United States. More than 117,000 came through the "Uniting for Ukraine" program, a private refugee sponsorship scheme through which Americans can volunteer to financially support Ukrainians. Another 150,000 came to the U.S. through pathways like the traditional refugee resettlement program or by crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
