Agencies that help refugees in Texas are preparing to serve up to 3,000 people after the Biden Administration announced plans to accept 100,000 refugees from Ukraine. About 3,000 refugees could be placed with family members in Texas.
"There are thousands of Ukrainians who have family members in the United States who will be processed first," said Chris Kelley with Refugee Services of Texas. "We don't have details of when we can expect arrivals from Ukraine, but we will be ready - along with our volunteers."
The exact number of people arriving in each state has not been determined, but Kelly says they can make some predictions based on historical data.
"We will host probably around 3,000 Ukrainian refugees. Texas resettles about 3% of the nation's refugees who are assigned," he said. There will be a security vetting process for those coming into the U.S.
The United States is accepting a relatively small amount of refugees compared to some nations in Europe. Poland has accepted two million people, Romania has accepted 543,000 and Germany has accepted 225,000.
"You will hear cases of Ukrainians wanting to wait it out in Europe," Kelley said. "They can live there and work in the European Union for up to three years."
For those that do come to Texas to join relatives, Kelley expects a warm welcome.
"Texas has always had strong refugee employment opportunities, Public schools love refugee students, teachers are motivated by them. They become very active, very quickly and integrated into the United States. For Ukrainian Americans, this will be a huge relief - to know that they'll have an opportunity to help family members. We'll be ready, the schools will be ready, the employers will be ready."
Related
Related
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow NewsRadio 1080 KRLD