Sen. Johnson Joins Sen. Lee, Colleagues in Advocating for Ukrainian Orphans

On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined U.S. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and 38 of their colleagues in a bicameral letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken advocating for the State Department to assist Ukrainian orphans and the American families who have already begun the process of adopting them. The letter asks the Department of State to urge the Ukrainian government to establish a consular office in Poland to process paperwork required for adoption.

     “We write to thank you for the work of the United States Department of State to assist the people of Ukraine during this crisis and to make you aware of a particular group of orphans amongst the many fleeing the country.  There are families already towards the very end of the process to adopt Ukrainian orphans, and they are waiting for approval from the Ukrainian government to be united with their adopted children on U.S. soil,” said the members.

     “We believe the State Department can do more to urge or aid the Ukrainian application process to continue, especially for cases close to finalization. … Helping these orphans to join their American families expeditiously will allow them to get to a safe, nurturing environment while freeing up resources for other refugees.  In a warzone and a refugee crisis, it is often the most vulnerable who bear the greatest consequences,” the members continued.

The full text of the letter can be found here. .. (Excerpt from U.S. Senator Ron Johnson Newsroom)