My article in The New York Times arguing for the acceptance of Ukrainian migrants and refugees was published. Here’s a portion:
United Nations estimates that 1.5 million people have fled fighting in Ukraine. Unfortunately, this number is expected to rise.
For both Ukrainian refugees fleeing war and Russians fleeing Putin’s rule, it is important that the United States opens its doors to them. This will help to alleviate the pain and reinforce our stand against Putin.
We can quickly do several things. President Biden made Ukrainians living in America eligible for temporary protected status. This will protect them from being deported and give them the opportunity to find employment. The temporary protected status is available only to individuals who have arrived in the United States prior to March 1. It lasts 18 months, but could be extended. His special student aid could also be granted to protect Ukrainian students living in America. This would allow them to stay longer. Further, he should grant parole status to newly arriving Ukrainian refugees, allowing them to remain in the United States….
The United States should not only accept Ukrainian refugees but also offer refuge to Russians fleeing Mr. Putin’s dictatorial regime. As the science writer and aerospace engineer Robert Zubrin explains, Russian emigration can help drain Mr. Putin’s “brains” by depriving his war machine of some of the scientific and technical expertise it relies on…
A greater Russian emigration into the West would represent a moral victory for America and the other liberal democracies. During the Cold War, America welcomed refugees from the U.S.S.R., Cuba and other Communist nations in part for this very reason…. An open door to Russian immigrants would also be a powerful signal that we do not regard the people of Russia as our enemies — undercutting a pillar of Mr. Putin’s domestic propaganda…..
In the second section of this article, we address various objections. The latter objection has some validity, but the right way to address it is by leveling up, not leveling down: liberalize policies towards other migrants, not bar Russians and Ukrainians.