Quigley Delivers Floor Speech Addressing Refugee Crisis in Ukraine and Around the World

U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, spoke from the floor of the House of Representatives to express his support for accepting Ukrainian refugees into the United States and providing the same opportunity to all those experiencing crises around the world.

In his remarks, Quigley said, in part, "As Co-Chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, early on in this conflict, I called on the Biden administration to extend Temporary Protected Status to Ukrainians already in the United States. I was proud when President Biden heeded that call. And subsequently when he increased the refugee cap after my colleagues and I asked him to take that step. We must now do everything in our power to accept fleeing refugees expeditiously."

Quigley also said, "As I advocate for Ukrainians here at home and abroad, I am also reminded that there are atrocities occurring around the world. We can - and must - extend the same outrage we have for the crimes in Bucha to the crimes in Syria, the conflict in Tigray, the famine in Yemen, and the violence in the Northern Triangle. And just as we open our doors to Ukrainian refugees. We can - and must - open our doors to refugees from around the world."

Video of Quigley's speech is available HERE and the text of his speech as prepared for delivery is available below:

Madame Speaker -- this weekend, the world watched in horror as the retreat of Russian forces from the town of Bucha revealed the scope of the appalling war crimes committed by Vladimir Putin's military.

Journalists and the Ukrainian military discovered mass graves, bodies left in the streets, and evidence of the massacre of civilians.

These are war crimes.

We now know, with certainty, what fate awaits Ukrainians who are subjected to Russian occupation.

The United States must open its doors to welcome Ukrainians who are fleeing this invasion.

As Co-Chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, early on in this conflict, I called on the Biden administration to extend Temporary Protected Status to Ukrainians already in the United States.

I was proud when President Biden heeded that call

And subsequently when he increased the refugee cap after my colleagues and I asked him to take that step.

We must now do everything in our power to accept fleeing refugees expeditiously.

Madame/Mr. Speaker- this is a matter of life and death.

Over four million refugees have already fled the violence in Ukraine.

Half of those refugees are children.

Millions more remain trapped in cities and villages without access to food, clean water, or medical care.

And we now know that Putin's military is willing to slaughter any innocents left behind.

It is absolutely critical that the United States do everything in its power to assist the people of Ukraine.

This means military assistance, yes,

But it also means providing for Ukrainians who make the difficult decision to leave their homes behind.

We must support the nations that are taking in refugees already.

Allies like Poland have already admitted more than two million Ukrainian refugees into their nation.

We should ensure that Poland and other countries that have opened their doors are able to help Ukrainians resettle safely.

This also means continuing to investigate reports of refugees of color being turned away at border crossings.

Here in the US, we have a long history as a safe harbor for the people of the world.

It has been inspiring to see Americans offer unwavering support for Ukraine from the outset of the Russian invasion.

I am confident that this support will mean that Americans will rally together to support any Ukrainian refugees who arrive on our shores.

As they do, Congress has an opportunity to reform our immigration system to be more welcoming to individuals around the world who are in need.

I share the outrage of my constituents who are watching what is unfolding in Ukraine with unmitigated horror.

As I advocate for Ukrainians here at home and abroad, I am also reminded that there are atrocities occurring around the world.

We can - and must - extend the same outrage we have for the crimes in Bucha to the crimes in Syria, the conflict in Tigray, the famine in Yemen, and the violence in the Northern Triangle.

And just as we open our doors to Ukrainian refugees,

We can - and must - open our doors to refugees from around the world.

In recent weeks, I have urged the Biden administration to end Title 42.

This policy allowed the US to use the pandemic as justification for expelling migrants without a hearing before an immigration judge.

The administration announced just last week that they finally intend to end this policy.

One immediate effect will be that Ukrainians arriving at our borders will be able to seek asylum more easily.

But critically, it also means that migrants from the global south will no longer be stranded in our immigration process.

The federal government should seek out other avenues in which providing recourse for Ukrainians will make our system more equitable for all immigrants.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, foreign citizens seeking entry to the United States have faced months-long waits for consular appointments.

That backlog now threatens to prevent fleeing Ukrainians from reaching our shores.

The lengthy immigrant visa delays have caused many Ukrainians to turn to non-immigrant visas so they can reach temporary safety with family or friends in the United States.

Yet, as Ukrainians and other foreign citizens have been increasingly forced to utilize non-immigrant visas,

Wait times have drastically ballooned.

Reporting last month showed that wait times in Hungary were 275 days.

In Moldova, the wait was 329 days.

On February 28, the wait in Warsaw, Poland was 86 days.

Two days later, the wait was 134 days for visitor visas and more than 40 days for other types of visas.

I sincerely hope that the State Department finds a way to dramatically increase processing times for Ukrainians who have fled their homelands.

But we cannot simply prioritize Ukrainian cases and leave all others behind.

These wait times impact immigrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers from around the world.

Ukrainians are not the only ones whose lives are in danger in their homelands.

The tragedy in Ukraine has shone a bright spotlight on the need for our entire immigration system to be more inclusive.

Congress cannot allow this moment to pass without finally addressing the flaws in our system.

Too many lives hang in the balance for us to do nothing.