Immigration Law and Justice Michigan establishes a legal clinic to continue assisting Ukrainian parolees unable to return to their homeland.
The Uniting for Ukraine parole program began in April 2022 as a way to provide refuge to the thousands of Ukrainian families fleeing the brutal Russian invasion of their country. Hundreds of them came to the established Ukrainian community in Traverse City, Michigan, where they found a familiar language, food, and culture.
Before the invasion, 10% of the clients at the Traverse City office of Immigration Law & Justice Center Michigan were Ukrainian nationals. They now account for half of the clientele.
ILJ Michigan Legal Co-Director Marcelo Betti in Traverse City.But the first thing Legal Co-Director Marcelo Betti wants people to understand is that the Ukrainian humanitarian parole program—and authorization to legally work in the U.S.—is not a permanent solution for Ukrainians seeking safety.
“It’s a temporary program that only lasts for two years,” he explains. “It’s not a path for a green card, and it’s not a path to citizenship.”
The Ukrainian parolees who began arriving in the spring of 2022 have completed—or are about to complete—their two years. They can now apply to renew their parole and then complete a separate application to renew their work authorization.
It’s a time-consuming process, stretching ILJ Michigan’s limited resources. They are the only nonprofit immigration legal service provider in this part of Northwestern Michigan.
This past July, ILJ Michigan set up a legal clinic at the Slavic Evangelical Church. In partnership with Bethany Christian Services, the idea is to streamline the process by gathering clients and interpreters in one place so Marcelo and his staff can more efficiently work with people trying to complete their renewal applications. Exactly 50 people attended the first clinic and received legal assistance.
Marcelo leads an information session for Ukrainian parolees in Traverse City. July, 2024.Living your life—and trying to build a future for your family —in two-year increments is tremendously stressful—especially when there is no guarantee that there will be another two-year increment. And especially when you just want to go back home.
“The hardest thing, from my perspective,” Marcelo says, “is not being able to give these families a firm picture of what’s going to happen to them in the United States. As a father of young children, I can only imagine how difficult it would be if I were with my family in a foreign country and I’m not able to foresee where we will be in a year or two or three.”
This is why ILJ Michigan has been so proactive about working with the parolees to ensure they get their renewals, Marcelo explains. If nothing else, it gives them an extra two years in the United States and out of a war zone.
“Hopefully, the extra time puts parents in the best position to plan and make the right decisions for the family in the long term,” he adds.
Meanwhile, the war drags on. The Ukrainians who arrived two years ago must wonder if they will ever be able to return to the country they remember. But there is a small part of Ukraine right here in Traverse City to make them feel welcome and at home.
For further reading:
CNHI newspapers wrote a profile of Marcelo Betti in July. Please check it out here: Lawyer busy with legal help for Ukrainian war refugees – CNHI
Tetiana and her daughter Olesia fled their home in Kharkiv at the beginning of the invasion. Please read their heartwarming story here from June 2023: No Road too Long.
Website cover photo: Ukrainian refugees, Mike DuBose, UM News Service.