Opinion: Pennsylvania’s Ukrainian community could swing the state in the upcoming election

I am one of more than 120,000 Pennsylvanians of Ukrainian heritage who will vote on which presidential candidate best serves our interests. Since only 80,000 votes separated the presidential candidates in 2020, our community’s vote could be key to deciding who wins Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes in November: Kamala Harris or Donald Trump.
I have a personal stake in Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine. Just days after the full-scale invasion began, I discovered I had five distant relatives in Ukraine, so I flew there to rescue them. What I saw in their eyes was the same blank, deer-in-the-headlights stare of Holocaust survivors when they were liberated.
I realized at that moment I was there to do more than just get my relatives out. Since then, my wife, Ellen, and I have developed a network of “angels” who have helped thousands of refugees leave Ukraine, provide financial support, and settle in Pennsylvania, other states, and nations.
After watching news of the full-scale invasion, Trump gave Russian President Vladimir Putin a green light by calling his strategic decisions “savvy” and “genius.” When Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last month, he promised to strike a “rapid deal” to end the war but provided no details. He reportedly said privately that he could end the war by pressuring Ukraine to surrender some territory. Trump has also claimed Ukraine was “demolished” and that “the people are dead.” In his debate with Vice President Harris, Trump twice refused to say whether he wanted Ukraine to win the war.
In response, members of Pennsylvania’s Polish community, veterans, social workers, small business owners, and several elected officials signed a letter last month endorsing Harris and vilifying Trump.
“Vice President Harris has a long, strong track record of protecting our democracy here at home and standing up for our brothers, sisters, parents, and grandparents in Poland—the same people Vladimir Putin hopes to attack next if Ukraine were to fall,” the letter read.
“Polish people in the U.S. and around the world know that our future is tied to Ukraine because if Putin is allowed to trample Ukraine, we know his next target could be Poland. Trump bowed to dictators like Putin before and he will do it again if he is reelected.”
Equally disturbing, Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance said, “I gotta be honest, I don’t really care what happens in Ukraine, one way or the other.”
In contrast, when Harris met with Zelensky last month, she pledged to continue robust U.S. support if she is elected president. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the Biden-Harris administration has allocated nearly $175 billion in emergency assistance to Ukraine.
Additionally, the administration created the “Uniting for Ukraine” refugee program, allowing Ukrainians to come to the U.S. and work legally immediately upon arrival, but only if an American sponsor is willing to support them financially.
Since its launch, more than 236,000 cases have been approved, with 187,000 Ukrainian refugees already in the U.S. The resettlement of Ukrainian refugees has been relatively smooth, but their legal stay under humanitarian parole expires every two years.
Tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees have settled efficiently in American communities with minimal controversy, including about 4,500 in Pennsylvania. Those who come to the U.S. under Uniting for Ukraine require an American sponsor willing to assist them financially, and they can work legally immediately upon setting foot on U.S. soil.
For decades, America led the world in refugee admissions in a program that enjoyed wide bipartisan support. But Trump dramatically cut the refugee program. By the time he left office in January 2021, fewer than 12,000 refugees from all other countries combined were admitted to the U.S. in his last year. Imagine the hardships tens of thousands of Ukrainians fleeing the war would face without a safe haven in America if Trump is elected president again.
Unlike Donald Trump, Kamala Harris recognizes that America and other democracies worldwide have a moral and geopolitical interest in preserving the safety of the Ukrainian people, not just ensuring their survival but enabling them to thrive. I urge my fellow Pennsylvanians and Ukrainian Americans to elect her president.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent.