A group of six refugees arrived in El Paso after arriving from Ukraine to the Netherlands before flying to Mexico. The group included Tatiana Soloshchuk, her husband, their three sons, another mother and her young daughter. The Soloshchuks were destined for Kentucky, while the other mother and child were on their way to Denver. “Four days have passed in Mexico,” said Soloshchuk’s friend, who translated her answers to The Post’s questions over the phone and declined to give her name. “They came through Mexico because it’s the fastest way to get to the United States.” As with European Union countries, Ukrainians do not need a visa to travel to Mexico. As soon as Tatiana’s team arrived in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, they showed up at the Paso Del Norte International Port of Entry and lined up to apply for asylum. They waited for 20 hours, sitting outside in the cold of a desert night, until they were spotted by a Customs and Border Protection officer who granted them humanitarian aid. “They are sad and devastated,” said the friend. “They were afraid for their sons. The youngest has asthma. “It happened badly when he was hiding in the basement from the bombings.” Ukrainian family Tatiana Soloshchuk, Taras’s husband and three sons after crossing the Paso del Norte International Bridge in the United States on April 7, 2022. James Keivom for the New York PostTaras Soloshchuk with his son Zkhar and another Ukrainian and her daughter. James Keivom for the New York Post The Soloshchuks will move to Kentucky after receiving help from friends in the US. James Keivom for the New York Post After friends in Kentucky offered to pay for their trip and help them settle in the US, the Solotsuks decided to leave, leaving behind other family members and loved ones. “Many (Ukrainian) families would like to come to the US, but not everyone can make the trip,” said Tatiana’s friend. “It’s only because of their friends in Kentucky that they can afford to make this trip.” The Soloschucks do not know whether they will stay in the United States or return to Ukraine one day after the end of the war. Ukrainian troops walk among damaged Russian tanks in Bucha, Ukraine near Kyiv on April 3, 2022.AP Photo / Rodrigo Abd, Archive “At the moment, they want their sons to be able to go back to school,” said their friend. “Education, freedom, security, that’s important right now.” The Soloschucks and their friend the translator could only spend five minutes talking before a car arrived. Their friends from Kentucky had arranged for the family to be picked up from the International Bridge in El Paso and transported to the airport for the last leg of their journey. The director of the Evangelical House, Ruben Garcia, who runs the largest immigrant shelter in El Paso, told the Post that his staff sees between two and eight Ukrainians a day. A Ukrainian mother and daughter wait to cross the border into the United States at the port of San Ysidro in Tijuana, Mexico, on April 5, 2022. Photo by Mario Tama / Getty ImagesTents of Ukrainian refugees in Tijuana on April 5, 2022. Photo by Mario Tama / Getty Images “We only see one drop and they do not stay in the shelter for long,” Garcia said. Six hundred miles away, in Laredo, the department of Catholic Charities of the local diocese has received at least 10 Ukrainians in its shelter. Executive director Rebecca Solloa said those arriving at her facility arrived by car from the northern Mexican city of Monterrey, about three hours south of the border by car. “They will lead [in] by taxi to the bridge, and they will say, “We are asking for asylum,” he said. “[Customs agents] he will take them off the car and go ahead “. Ukrainian refugees wait to enter the United States at the Mexicali-Calexico West pedestrian crossing at Mexicali on April 5, 2022. REUTERS / Victor Medina A number of Ukrainians gathered in Mexicali before seeking asylum in the United States.REUTERS / Victor Medina The number of shelters is unofficial and the actual number of people crossing the border is probably higher, as many Ukrainian asylum seekers completely bypass migrant shelters when they arrive. The Biden government announced last month that it would welcome 100,000 Ukrainian refugees displaced by the war. The Ministry of Internal Security did not respond to requests from The Post for information on the number of Ukrainian refugees. The Wall Street Journal reported last month that more than 10,000 Ukrainians had visited Mexico as tourists in the first two months of this year, and officials believe most of that number will eventually head to the United States.
