SPOKANE — About 60 Ukrainian refugees sat in rapt attention asking their congressman a simple question: “Can we stay?”
Republican Michael Baumgartner was not able to give them a simple response.
“I hope so,” he told them through an interpreter.
The meeting was held Tuesday night at nonprofit Thrive International, where many refugees are staying.
Many of the Spokane-based Ukrainians who fled their country amid war have their temporary status running out in mere months. They said the renewal process is frozen, and President Donald Trump has threatened to remove temporary protective status to Ukrainians.
As their parents pleaded for their continued legal status, many young children played loudly in a nearby room.
Baumgartner promised to plead their case to Trump and anyone who might have the president’s ear.
“I speak for all of us in eastern Washington. We are pleased that you are here. We want you to be safe. We hope you get to stay and continue to build your families and build this community,” Baumgartner said. “When I communicate to the president and to the administration about your situation, this was what I will be advocating for. Your stories that you shared today about your families and your situation and what you’re trying to do, and that you’re hard workers following the law.”
Baumgartner called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to resign last month following the leader’s tense meeting with Trump over ongoing military aid for the nation, but the congressman said Tuesday he hopes the two governments can cooperate.
“The two countries will grow closer together through this process,” he said.
The congressman promised to return and meet with the refugees again. But he also warned that his influence as a freshman congressman only went so far, and he could not guarantee their protection.
Earlier this month, Reuters reported — citing four unnamed sources, including one Trump administration official — that the president was planning to revoke legal status and make the Ukrainians subject to deportation. The White House later disputed this claim.
Eighteen-year-old refugee Tymofii Shamota said after the event the congressman’s words “gave him hope.”
“He gave me hope that I can be the person I want to be in America,” Shamota said. “At least I hope that we can stay in here for a longer term. And maybe — just maybe stay here forever. It is crucial for us to stay here, because we have nowhere to go.”
His family has been fleeing from place to place since conflict initially broke out in 2014. They lived in the far east portion of Ukraine that has been in conflict with Russia then. Shamota’s mother spoke out publicly against Russian’s annexation of Crimea, and the family fled to Kyiv.
While they lived near Kyiv until 2022, the family faced discrimination from many other Ukrainians who suspected those from their providence could have Russian sympathies, he said. When Russia invaded western Ukraine in 2022, the family was trapped in their home for three weeks by Russian forces until they were able escape to Poland.
Shamota and his parents have been in the United States for a little under a year. There is a discrepancy in their immigration paperwork, so they are unsure if they will be able to stay through 2026 or be forced to leave sooner.
It was a common story for the refugees at the meeting.
Kristina Skadorsk said her temporary protective status was set to expire in May and reapplications through the program are currently frozen.
Baumgartner told the refugees that their status was complicated by the United States’ overwhelmed immigration system. He claimed federal agents were having difficulty distinguishing between legitimate refugees and criminals because of Washington state’s sanctuary state status, which prevents local law enforcement from working with ICE.
“If (Washington state) were communicating and following the federal law, who should be the law on this issue, then they could focus on the truly most dangerous people, but instead, they have to cast a wider net in the communities and more just normal people are getting caught up,” he said.
Thrive International director Mark Finney said the refugees he works with are living with a “tremendous amount of uncertainty” and thanked the congressman for meeting with them directly.
“I think it’s really significant that the Congressman came down here and was willing to go in front of the cameras and assert his support for the Ukrainian refugee community. I think that’s really an important message right now. When we’re not hearing a consistent message across the federal government, it’s very important that our representative speaks out loud and clear about the government’s belief, or at least his personal belief, in the value of those folks who are here right now,” he said after the meeting.
