Well into its third month, Putin’s war has devastated the Ukrainian populace and its infrastructure. Many of the millions of refugee families — splintered by the conscription of younger males into the Ukrainian army — have been welcomed into neighboring countries with their pets. But those seeking asylum in the U.S. have faced an especially steep hurdle. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention prohibits dogs that has been in any of 50 countries classified as “high risk” from entering the U.S.; Ukraine is on that list.
To reach the U.S., some early freedom-seekers ran a relay from Poland to Germany to Portugal to Mexico with dogs in tow. Due to delays in streamlining the legal entry of Ukrainian refugees directly into the U.S., many flew into Mexico — which doesn’t require visas — and applied for admission at the U.S land border on humanitarian grounds.
Poised on the brink of renewed life, refugee families were dealt a crushing blow when U.S customs agents delivered the policy news. It is unclear how many choose to backtrack with their dogs versus those who choose to leave their dogs in Mexico and stagger forward, reeling from yet another separation; the quarantine and permit process often stretched on for weeks — with uncertain outcomes.
To speedily process the heavy influx of Ukrainian refugees, Customs and Border Patrol agents initially allowed Ukrainian dogs to freely enter the U.S. However, the practice was reversed, only mounting the agony of Ukrainian pet parents. The Save Ukraine Relief Fund worked with Ukrainian refugees attempting to enter the U.S.
“Dogs have been sent back to us,” said Victoria Pindrik, a volunteer with the group. “For many of these families that have been through trauma, it is important to keep their family together, including their pets that they spent so much energy, money and care to bring with them. We understand the requirements the U.S. has in place and reasons for them, but it is impossible for the refugees to satisfy them.”
The ban was a slap in the face to the throngs of pet parents who abided pet protocols of the countries through which they’d passed. These have included a rabies series, microchipping, vaccination against parasites, an overall status of good health and full documentation — along with an international ID — attesting to these facts. U.S. dogs that have travelled to high-risk countries with their humans are readily readmitted with this same documentation. Unfortunately for the refugees, CDC guidelines only recognize U.S-issued vaccination certificates and entry can occur only through approved ports of entry with an established quarantine station.
The CDC reported coordinating efforts with non-profit agencies in the U.S. and Mexico along the border “to ensure persons arriving from Ukraine with their dogs meet entry requirements before entering the U.S., or that they have a safe place to quarantine dogs if they arrive and do not meet C.D.C. entry requirements,” the agency said in a statement last month.
An inspired work-around sparked a flurry of cooperation between U.S. citizens and Ukrainian refugees. Because Mexico is not on the CDC rabies list and U.S. citizens with pets face little — if any — scrutiny at the U.S. border, scores of American pet lovers volunteered to ferry Ukrainian pets across the border. The plan resulted in tearful reunions and rescued hopes for Ukrainian families.
However, since April 24, Ukrainians have been denied entry into the U.S. from Mexico. On April 25, an emergency program was launched by the Biden administration: “Uniting for Ukraine” allows Ukrainians to get visas in Europe and fly directly into the United States. Refugees stranded at the border by the cutoff date had to seek asylum in Mexico City or backpedal to Europe. Ukrainian refugees flying directly into the U.S. under the new policy still face a rigorous quarantine and permit process and at least temporary separation from their pets.
Follow the chronicles of several Ukrainian families and their pets in this moving NYT article.