More than 20,000 Ukrainians have been processed at the US-Mexico border since mid-March

 

Ukrainian refugees fleeing war, camp inside a shelter in a gymnasium at the Unidad Deportiva Benito Juárez as they await processing of their applications along the border with the United States in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, on April 9. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images)

The Department of Homeland Security processed more than 20,000 Ukrainians at the US-Mexico border and granted them humanitarian parole since March 11, when officials began exempting them on a case-by-case basis following Russia’s invasion, according to a newly filed court declaration.

Blas Nuñez-Neto, a top Homeland Security official, outlined the Biden administration’s plans for an influx of migrants at the US-Mexico border when a public health authority, known as Title 42, lifts in a court filing following a federal judge’s intent to temporarily block the wind down. 

DHS, Nunez-Neto said, will be “significantly curtailing” those exception, given the launch of Uniting for Ukraine, a streamlined process for Ukrainians seeking to come to the United States. 

“The Department strongly encourages all potential applicants to apply directly from Europe, where they will have greater support than if they apply from Mexico or elsewhere,” the filing reads.