More than 5,000 Ukrainian migrants were detained at US borders in March despite no official immigration path

• More than 5,000 Ukrainian refugees were detained at US borders in March, according to federal data.
• The US has yet to announce a specific pathway into the country for fleeing Ukrainians.
• Immigration detentions were up across the board last month, with nearly 250,000 total detentions. 

More than 5,000 Ukrainian refugees were detained at US land, air, and sea borders in the month of March, according to data released by US Customs and Border Protection on Monday, contributing in part to the highest number of monthly detentions seen at the Southwest border since 2000.  

Last month’s numbers offer the first official count of incoming Ukrainian migrants since Russia invaded the country in late February. The number of Ukrainian arrivals in March is up more than four-fold from 1,146 in February, and scores more have continued to arrive this month, though figures for April have not yet been released.

A majority of the Ukrainian asylum-seekers thus far have been granted humanitarian parole, The Washington Post reported, which allows refugees to temporarily stay in the country. The Biden administration on Monday extended the temporary protected status for Ukrainians for another 18 months if they arrived in the US by April 11, according to a Department of Homeland Security update.

Federal officials now project that 59,600 Ukrainians may apply for the protected status, The Post reported, which is lower than previous estimates. 

Since the war began in Ukraine almost two months ago, nearly 5 million people have fled the country, according to United Nations data. The exodus marks the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.

The majority of Ukrainians have sought refuge in neighboring countries, including Poland, Romania, and Hungary, but an increasing number are making the trek to the US, despite no official pathway in place for them to enter the country. President Joe Biden said in March that the US would take up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees and provide more than $1 billion in humanitarian assistance for those affected by the war. 

At the time, the White House said the refugees could enter the country via family-based visas and humanitarian parole, in addition to the traditional US refugee program, but no official plan for the wartime refugees has been announced as of yet. Earlier this month, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the administration expects to provide details soon as it finalizes an “expedited process.”

But the lack of specific directions has not stopped thousands of Ukrainians from taking matters into their own hands. 

One refugee told the outlet that the lack of clear information from the Biden administration has prompted scores of Ukrainians to flock to the US-Mexico border because it seems to be one of the quickest ways to enter the country. US Customs and Border Protection reported more than 3,200 Ukrainians at the Southwest border in March. 

Immigration detentions were up across the board last month, according to the federal figures, with nearly 250,000 total detentions compared to about 190,000 in February. The influx comes as the Biden administration prepares to lift the Title 42 order, which has been used to turn away asylum seekers since the COVID-19 pandemic began more than two years ago.