N.J. would accept Ukrainian refugees fleeing Russian invasion, Murphy tells Biden

Russia invades Ukraine

Refugees from Ukraine arrive to the railway station in Przemysl, Poland on Sunday.AP

New Jersey “stands ready and able” to accept refugees from Ukraine as hundreds of thousands of the country’s residents flee during Russia’s military invasion of the country, Gov. Phil Murphy wrote in a letter to President Joe Biden on Wednesday.

“We are a state built on the contributions of those who came here in search of safe harbor after leaving desperate situations, and we will extend a warm and sincere welcome to Ukrainians displaced by this senseless invasion,” Murphy wrote.

More than 1 million refugees have fled Ukraine in the week since Russia began attacking the country, according to the United Nations. That amounts to more than 2% of Ukraine’s population of 44 million people.

The U.N. has projected that number could balloon into the millions in coming weeks. Most are women and children since Ukraine has conscripted men between the ages of 18 and 60 to fight.

Many refugees have left via car, packed trains, and even on foot. Most have gone to European nations.

It’s unclear where any Ukrainian refugees would be housed if they came to New Jersey. Murphy’s administration would work with the Biden administration on the arrangements.



Last year, New Jersey housed more than 9,000 Afghan refugees at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst after the Taliban took over their country. Murphy also established a state task force to help them settle in the state.

“Now, we will be proud to do our part in welcoming Ukrainian men, women, and children who have left their generational homes in the face of Russia’s cruel and illegitimate invasion of Ukraine,” the governor wrote to Biden, a fellow Democrat, in his letter.

Murphy wrote that New Jersey has watched the assault in “sadness and horror” and noted that the Garden State is home to 75,000 residents of Ukrainian descent, many who arrived as refugees from the former Soviet Union.

The governor also asked the Biden administration to consider giving temporary protected status to Ukrainians already in the U.S., as well as work permits and protection from deportation for DACA recipients and those on student visas.

A similar plea came from than one-third of the U.S. Senate, led in part by U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“The war in Ukraine is exactly the type of crisis TPS was created for — to allow people to live and work in the United States when they are unable to return home safely,” Menendez tweeted last week.

In a letter to Biden, the 39 senators — who also included Cory Booker, D-N.J. — asked the administration to “promptly take all necessary steps to ensure that Ukrainian nationals present in the United States are not forced to return to Ukraine.”

“Granting TPS to the limited population of Ukrainians who are currently in the U.S. on a temporary basis will create a minimal disruption for our country, but forcing these individuals to return to a war zone would be unacceptable,” the lawmakers wrote.

The U.S. State Department said 29,510 nonimmigrant visas were issued to Ukrainian nationals in federal fiscal year 2020, according to the senators.

Separately, 115 U.S. House members, including six from New Jersey, also asked Biden to allow Ukrainian nationals to overstay their visas and temporarily remain in the U.S.

“Without action by your administration, they could be forced to return to a nation under siege,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter to the president.

Those signing the letter included Reps. Donald Norcross, D-1st Dist.; Josh Gottheimer, D-5th Dist.; Frank Pallone Jr., D-6th Dist.; Tom Malinowski, D-7th Dist., Mikie Sherrill, D-11th Dist., and Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-12th Dist.

Meanwhile, Murphy on Thursday ordered all state agencies in New Jersey to review how they can prevent state resources from supporting the Russian government.

The governor signed an executive order requiring all agencies to review their authority to suspend or revoke licenses, permits, registrations, and certifications of businesses that invest directly in companies owned or controlled by the governments in Russia and Belarus. It also directs the agencies to review the state’s ability to boycott or halt the import or purchase of products or services provided by the two countries.

“Our Administration will immediately undertake a review of what we can do on the state level to increase financial pressure on the undemocratic regime in Moscow and to cut any state ties to the Russian government or its affiliated companies,” Murphy said in a statement.

Murphy added in a video on Twitter that Putin is a “thug” — a term he has used repeatedly to denounce the Russian president — who has “initiated a war of choice.”

“Innocent people are being killed — murdered — by this maniac,” he said. “We stand with Ukraine.”

The order complements a bipartisan bill state lawmakers are quickly advancing to ban state and local government entities in New Jersey from doing business with the Russian government or any companies with direct interests in it.

This comes as the U.S. and other countries have levied tough economic sanctions on Russia. State Sen. Paul Sarlo, D-Bergen, said New Jersey is the first state seeking to legislate state-level sanctions.

The state Senate budget committee approved the measure 12-0 on Monday. The bill (S1889) is up for a vote in the full Senate on Thursday.

It must also be passed by the state Assembly before Murphy decided whether he will sign it into law. The Assembly is expected to vote on the legislation in the coming days.

The Assembly on Monday unanimously approved a bipartisan resolution condemning Russia’s attack and saying it stands in solidarity with Ukraine. The Senate is scheduled to vote on the resolution Thursday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him at @johnsb01.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him at @JDSalant.

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