U.S. border officials are seeing a major spike in Ukrainians attempting to enter the U.S. via Mexico or Canada as pressure builds for the Biden administration to open new paths for those fleeing Russia’s invasion of their country.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported more than 5,000 encounters with Ukrainians last month, mostly along the southwestern border. The figure is almost five times as many as tallied in previous months.
The Department of Homeland Security has allowed some Ukrainians to enter the U.S. through a case-by-base humanitarian designation — which provides temporary protection from deportation.