The conflict in Ukraine continues to cause heartbreak for so many Ukrainians here in Connecticut.
A mother and father in East Granby said it has been surreal to watch a war happening in their homeland, but it's even worse knowing their son is still in Ukraine.
"I just couldn’t stop crying, of course. We are watching news just nonstop, at night, during the day. Just hope for some kind of miracle that this nightmare will go somehow," said Valentina Sotil.
She said her son had been waiting for about seven years to get a Visa to come to the United States and he just got word he can sit for an interview. It's unclear right now when or if he'll be able to get to Germany for that interview.
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And he may not be the only one who will soon call Connecticut home. The war is causing a huge refugee crisis as a million people try to flee to safety.
On Friday, Gov. Ned Lamont tweeted if there is a need to accept refugees from Ukraine due to Russia's invasion, we'll welcome them with open arms.
While many of those refugees are being welcomed abroad with open arms, not everyone is getting out. People of color in Ukraine said they've faced segregation and racial discrimination while trying to flee.
This week, an alliance of civil rights attorneys from around the world announced it'll file an appeal to the United Nations on behalf of Black refugees. African immigrants in Ukraine said they've faced everything from being blocked trying to board a train to even threats of violence.
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The Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants in Bridgeport provides legal and social services to refugees. President Susan Schnitzer said their clients are not impervious to racism; one client is even personally impacted by what's going on in Ukraine.
"We do have a client who had family members that fled Afghanistan and fled to Ukraine. And while they were able to get out of Ukraine into Poland, they were held at the border for a couple of days and questioned. And to feel that your loved ones have finally found safety, and then to see that that's disrupted and have to worry again, about where they will land next is really traumatizing, re-traumatizing for our clients," Schnitzer said.
She said the organization doesn't have much power when it comes to getting people of color out of Ukraine, but there are things Americans can do to help.
"We do have the power through our voices, and advocating and again advocating through our congressional delegation. What we can do though, is when people do come here, to the US to make sure that we are giving them a standard of care/ but also meeting those personal needs. So being there being being ears to listen, and, and being able to give some advice to folks and really hearing their story," Schnitzer said.
She said that because of widespread advocacy, the Homeland Security Department will grant temporary protective status for 30,000 people from Ukraine in the United States right now.
