Many LGBTQ Ukrainians face hurdles entering US under humanitarian programs

• The Biden administration has pledged to allow 100,000 Ukrainians fleeing war with Russia into the United States. So far, 11,000 Ukrainians have been paroled into the United States under the Uniting for Ukraine humanitarian program.
• Many LGBTQ migrants are finding it difficult to get into the country because they lack social support and the necessary connections, according to immigration experts.
• Members of the queer community may have special medical needs such as HIV medications or hormone treatment that may make Americans – who must declare their financial support – wary of sponsoring them.

When Sergiy Astahof, 31, a Ukrainian migrant, fled for the United States with his partner after Russia invaded his home country, they were excited to finally live openly as a gay couple.

Instead, Astahof, who traveled through the U.S.-Mexico border on April 11, was taken in by kind community members of a conservative Texan church that opposes gay relationships. The church put him and his partner up in a spare room, providing food and shelter in exchange for volunteer work. The couple pretended to be merely friends – as they had in Ukraine and with their families – so as not to insult their hosts.