More than 45,000 Americans apply to sponsor Ukrainian refugees to live with them in just a month as Putin's invading forces continue to batter their country
- Just over 6.500 displaced Ukrainians arrived in the US as of last Wednesday
- Now the Department of Homeland Security revealed that another 27,000 refugees have had their travel to America authorized by immigration officials
- The Biden administration have pledged to accept 100,000 refugees into the US
More than 45,000 Americans have applied to sponsor Ukrainian refugees to live with them in the US's biggest programme for asylum seekers in decades.
Just over 6,500 displaced Ukrainians arrived in the US as of Wednesday 1 June under the Uniting for Ukraine programme which launched on April 25.
And now the Department of Homeland Security have revealed that another 27,000 Ukrainians have had their travel to America authorized by immigration officials.
The Biden administration announced on 24 March that they will accept 100,000 refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine, with more than 14 million people having fled their homes since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to the UN.
Another six million have left for neighbouring countries while eight million are displaced within Ukraine itself.
And according to data shared with CBS News, the programme could allow the US to receive over half of the 100,000 refugees from Ukraine which President Biden vowed to welcome within the next three months.
More than 45,000 Americans have applied to sponsor Ukrainian refugees (pictured at Tijuana Airport in Mexico) to live with them in the US's biggest programme for asylum seekers in decades
In addition to welcoming more of the displaced, the Biden administration also announced more than $1 billion in new funding toward humanitarian assistance.
The funding will provide food, shelter, clean water, medical supplies and other forms of assistance, according to the White House.
A state spokesperson told CBS that the Biden administration has reversed cuts to the traditional US refugee programme as a private sponsorship pilot program for all refugees is in the works to launch by the end of 2022.
The private program is different to that of most US Citizenship and Immigration Services programs which requires paper records and usually takes months, or even years, to process cases.
The Uniting for Ukraine scheme are being put through the system in just a matter of weeks or even days, with around 300 employees having been trained to adjudicate sponsorship cases.
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The spokesperson added: 'This will build on lessons learned from the U.S. government's efforts over the past year to stand up tailored private sponsorship initiatives to enable Americans to play a leading role in welcoming newly arrived Afghans and Ukrainians.'
Around 15 per cent of Americans who have applied to sponsor Ukrainian refugees, which works out at about 7,500 people, are from the New York metropolitan area, statistics from the Department of Homeland Security revealed.
Other regions with the most registering for sponsorship are in Chicago, Seattle, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Miami, Washington, Sacramento, Portland and Cleveland.
The Biden administration announced on 24 March that they will accept 100,000 refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine, with more than 14 million people having fled their homes since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to the UN. President Biden pictured last week
The official said that the sponsorship procedure is electronic from 'end-to-end': 'We're not talking about mailing paperwork. We're not talking about mailing a file for someone to review. Everything is done electronically.'
Immigration policy analyst at centrist think tank Niskanen Center said: 'I think this is a great case study for what is possible when the United States government gives the option for individuals and community groups to step forward and directly resettle refugees.'
Early last month, First Lady Jill Biden made a surprise visit to Ukraine where she met her Ukrainian counterpart Olena Zelensky and expressed American support for the embattled nation.
'I wanted to come on Mother's Day. I thought it was important to show the Ukrainian people that this war has to stop and this war has been brutal and that the people of the United States stand with the people of Ukraine,' she said.
Biden is the highest profile member of President Joe Biden's administration to visit the war torn country. She called the president from her car as her motorcade left the Ukraine to return to Slovenia, an East Wing official said.
The following day, Biden heard heartbreaking stories from Ukrainian refugees about fleeing their homeland during her visit to a Uruguay School in Bucharest, Romania, which is teaching the displaced Ukrainian children.
The 90-minute visit was filled with joy in addition to the sorrow. As well as hearing the anguishing stories, Biden also laughed with the kids during their art projects, handed out presidential M&Ms, and gave hugs.
Early last month, First Lady Jill Biden visited Uruguay School in Bucharest, Romania, where she heard heartbreaking stories from the children who have fled from Ukraine
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