NYLAG’s Jodi Ziesemer spoke to Gothamist about the federal government’s programs to support Ukrainian nationals in the United States as the Russian invasion of Ukraine meets its one-year mark.
“Jodi Ziesemer, the director of the immigrant protection unit at New York Legal Assistance Group, said ‘the response by the federal government has been fairly positive,’ and a stark contrast to the roadblocks set up for asylum-seekers from Latin America […]
“One of the pillars of Uniting for Ukraine is sponsorship, a nonbinding arrangement for those willing to host one or more people fleeing the war […]
“‘I don’t think anyone really understands what they’re committing to, which is to provide the full financial support, housing, food, orientation to the United States, all of the needs that this person has until they can get stabilized,’ Ziesemer said […]
“Ziesemer said that at least 15 of her organization’s Ukrainian clients left the U.S. ‘because they were not getting the support that they needed’ from sponsors. In most cases, she said, they moved to Europe.”
Read the full piece by Arun Venugopal in Gothamist from March 6, 2023.
