The Ukrainian-American community in Pennsylvania could swing the state’s election. For those of us who have roots in Ukraine, there is only one candidate who offers hope for a more democratic and safer future.
Demonstrators carry Ukrainian banners during a demonstration against Russia’s invasion in Ukraine on February 26, 2023, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Rachel Wisniewski/Bloomberg through Getty Images).
I am one of over 120,000 Pennsylvanians with Ukrainian heritage who will decide which presidential candidate best represents our interests. In 2020, only 80,000 votes separated presidential candidates. Our community’s vote may be crucial in deciding whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris wins Pennsylvania’s 19 Electoral votes in November.
I have a stake in Russia’s unprovoked conflict with Ukraine. I discovered that I had five distant cousins in Ukraine just days after the full scale invasion began. I flew to Ukraine to rescue them. What I saw in their eyes was the same blank, deer-in-the-headlights stare of Holocaust survivors when they were liberated.
At that moment, I realized I was there for more than just to get my relatives out. Since then, my wife Ellen and I have built a network of “angels” who have helped thousands refugees leave Ukraine and provide financial support. They have also helped them settle in Pennsylvania and other states and countries.
Trump, after watching the news of the full scale invasion, gave Russian President Vladimir Putin the green light, calling his strategic decisions’savvy’ and ‘genius. When Trump met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky last month, Trump promised to strike a rapid agreement to end the conflict, but he did not provide any details. He reportedly told a friend that he would end the war if he forced Ukraine to give up some territory. Trump has also said that Ukraine is “demolished” with “the people dead.” In the debate with Vice President Harris he refused to say if he wanted Ukraine win the war.
Members of Pennsylvania’s Polish Community, veterans, social worker, small business owners and several elected officials responded by signing a letter last year endorsing Harris while vilifying Trump.
The letter stated that “Vice President Harris is a proven leader in protecting our democracy at home, and standing up for the rights of our Polish brothers, sisters and parents and grandparents–the very people Vladimir Putin wants to attack next, if Ukraine falls,”
“Polish people around the world and in the U.S. know that our future is linked to Ukraine because we know that if Putin is allowed trample Ukraine, his next target could potentially be Poland. Trump has bowed down to dictators such as Putin in the past and he’ll do it again if elected.
J.D. Vance, the Republican vice presidential candidate, is also disturbing. Vance said: “I’m gonna be honest, I really don’t care what happens in Ukraine.
Harris, on the other hand, promised Zelensky that she would continue to provide strong U.S. backing if she were elected president. Since Russia invaded Ukraine 2022, the Biden and Harris administration has allocated $175 billion to Ukraine in emergency assistance.
The administration also created the “Uniting for Ukraine Refugee Program”, which allows Ukrainians to come and work legally in the U.S. immediately upon arrival. However, this is only possible if a sponsor from the U.S. is willing to financially support them.
Since its launch, over 236,000 cases of Ukrainian refugees have been approved. 187,000 Ukrainians are already in the U.S. The resettlement process for Ukrainian refugees was relatively smooth. However, their legal stay under humanitarian parole ends every two years.
About 4,500 Ukrainian refugees settled in Pennsylvania with little controversy. Uniting for Ukraine requires an American sponsor who is willing to help them financially. They can begin working legally as soon as they step foot on U.S. land.
For decades, America was the leader in the world for refugee admissions. The program enjoyed broad bipartisan support. Trump drastically cut the refugee program. By the time Trump left office in January of 2021, less than 12,000 refugees combined from all other countries had been admitted to the U.S. Imagine the hardships that tens of thousand of Ukrainians fleeing war would face if Trump were to be elected president again.
Kamala Harris, unlike Donald Trump, recognizes that America, and other democracies around the world, have a moral, and geopolitical, interest in preserving safety for the Ukrainian people. This is not just about ensuring their survival, but also enabling them thrive. I urge my Pennsylvanians and Ukrainian Americans elect her president.
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed by the authors in the op/ed section do not reflect the views of Kyiv Independent.
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