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The White House is expected to announce a plan in the coming days that would make it easier for vulnerable Ukrainian refugees to enter the US, a report said.

The plan, which could be unveiled this week, would enable activists, journalists and Ukrainians who are members of the LGBTQ community to safely travel to the US and stay temporarily, sources told NBC News.

It would also speed up the process of reunifying Ukrainians with family members in America, the sources told the network.

Biden administration officials alluded to the plan Tuesday without sharing any specifics.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said President Joe Biden “will announce further American contributions to a coordinated humanitarian response to ease the suffering of the civilians inside Ukraine and to respond to the growing flow of refugees.”

The president was preparing to travel to Belgium and Poland to attend an emergency NATO Summit on the war in Ukraine and consult with allies about additional Russian sanctions and Ukrainian aid.

Biden was considering using his presidential authority to grant humanitarian parole to refugees or designating them under a program that was used to evacuate refugees out of war zones in Afghanistan.


  National security adviser Jake Sullivan said President Biden will be announcing American initiatives to aid Ukrainian civilians. AP/Patrick Semansky National security adviser Jake Sullivan said President Biden will be announcing American initiatives to aid Ukrainian civilians. AP/Patrick Semansky

  Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said that refugees seeking asylum in the US will not be turned away. AP/Jacquelyn Martin Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said that refugees seeking asylum in the US will not be turned away. AP/Jacquelyn Martin

  A map of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine as of March 22, 2022.
 A map of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine as of March 22, 2022.

The options would not guarantee permanent legal status, but the White House believes most Ukrainians would want to eventually return to their homes after finding safe havens in Europe.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas declared last week that refugees seeking asylum in the US will not be turned away, after reports of several being denied access to the country at the Mexican border.

Under the White House proposals, refugees would be flown in to the country and given support services, avoiding the dangerous and uncertain ordeal asylum-seekers face at the physical US border, the network said.


  More than 3.5 million Ukrainians have fled the country since Russia began its invasion in late February. AP/Steffi Loos More than 3.5 million Ukrainians have fled the country since Russia began its invasion in late February. AP/Steffi Loos

The US announced earlier this month that Ukraine citizens who had been in the US before March 1 would be allowed to stay for 18 months.

Some 3.5 million Ukrainians had fled their homes since Russia’s unprovoked invasion four weeks ago, marking the largest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

The vast majority had fled to Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary and the Republic of Moldova, the organization said. More than a quarter-million people were taking shelter in Russia and its ally Belarus.


  The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said most Ukrainian refugees fled to Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary and the Republic of Moldova. AFP via Getty Images The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said most Ukrainian refugees fled to Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary and the Republic of Moldova. AFP via Getty Images
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