WASHINGTON – On February 16, 2023, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas visited Rzeszów, Poland near the Ukraine border to observe U.S. efforts to support both nations in their fight against the unjust Russian invasion. Secretary Mayorkas visited the Korczowa border crossing point and observed the use of U.S. technology that has been deployed to ensure the safe transfer of people and goods between Poland and Ukraine. The Secretary was then briefed on operations by the First Deputy Head of the Ukraine State Border Guard Service and the Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Border Guard and discussed opportunities to advance ongoing cooperation.
After visiting the border crossing, Secretary Mayorkas was briefed by U.S. Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski and the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army on ongoing operations in Poland. He later met with Ukrainian refugees and representatives from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) at a “Blue Dot” hub in Rzeszów.
In February 2022, the President designated DHS as the lead Federal agency to coordinate domestic preparedness and response efforts related to the current Russia-Ukraine crisis. In March 2022, DHS launched Uniting 4 Ukraine (U4U), a process that enables certain Ukrainians, along with their immediate family members, to request advanced authorization to travel to the United States to seek parole at a port of entry. Since then, the U.S. Government has admitted or paroled into the United States through various legal pathways nearly 260,000 displaced Ukrainians and their immediate family members.
DHS supports Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation in helping to build international and industry relationships and improve the security of Ukraine’s infrastructure. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is assisting Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service and Customs Service with capacity building efforts via coordination with Department of State to improve and enhance Ukraine’s border security.
Read excerpts from Secretary Mayorkas’s trip below:
“I, along with my colleagues from the United States, have come to visit Poland to communicate our steadfast support that we will work alongside the Polish people to ensure the liberty and freedom of the Ukrainian people. I came here to express our admiration for what the Polish people have done. And after meeting some of the courageous border security personnel in Poland, who work alongside the Polish-Ukrainian border, and hearing of their heroism and their sacrifice, I now know that our visit is also a way to honor those of Poland who have given the ultimate sacrifice, in the fight against the unprovoked Russian aggression.”
[Secretary Mayorkas, 2/16/2023 at a media availability at the Hotel Bristol in Poland]
“Our assistance is diverse. It is not only the assistance of technology and military assistance, but we have been very active in providing cybersecurity assistance to people of Ukraine. And this is not an effort just, of course, of the Polish people, of the United States, in supporting our Ukrainian brothers and sisters, but it is an international effort for a community of allies that has come to fight against unprovoked aggression, and stand for the values that define us and unite us.”
[Secretary Mayorkas, 2/16/2023 at a media availability at the Hotel Bristol in Poland]
“We are very proud of our efforts. It is in the same spirits that the Polish people have opened their homes to more than 1.5 million Ukrainians. We created a program, Uniting for Ukraine, where we have accepted more than a 100,000 people. Through just that program alone, we have accepted more than 150,000 more Ukrainians, so together, more than 250,000 Ukrainians we’ve provided for relief. And of course, we’re across the ocean, we’re quite a distance away, but we remain committed to continuing to provide that relief just as we remain committed to seeing the victory in Ukraine as swiftly as possible.”
[Secretary Mayorkas, 2/16/2023 with TVN24]
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