'Colorado Is Ready To Welcome': Refugee Groups Prepare For Ukrainians Fleeing Attacks

DENVER (CBS4)- The state of Colorado, together with local refugee groups, are preparing for Ukrainians who will arrive soon. This comes after the White House announced on Thursday that the U.S. will begin accepting up to 100,000 Ukrainians who have fled the violence and attacks by Russian forces.

"Colorado is ready to welcome," said Meg Sagaria-Barritt, the integration partnerships Coordinator with the Colorado Refugee Services Program. "Our specific response is likely to vary based on exactly how soon they come and kind of what kinds of support there is in the community, or what status they have and that might drive their ability to receive benefits and services."

Sagaria-Barritt said currently they don't exactly when the refugees will arrive in Colorado or how many we can expect to see, but it's likely going to happen soon. But whether or not they will all be able to arrive here as asylum seekers is still being figured out.

"The Biden Administration has basically said they would like to explore the full range of legal pathways to welcome these folks," Sagaria-Barritt said. "So that could include resettlement through the U.S Refugee Admissions Program, that could include humanitarian parole, family-based visas or other visas."

And that message of support is being echoed by many lawmakers, including Colorado Congresswoman Diana DeGette who recently met with three Ukrainian women who had ties to Colorado and recently left the country.

"As the new refugee resettlement policies take effect more people will be coming to Denver and Colorado," DeGette said on Tuesday.

State officials said they're eager to step in and help as these families begin to resettle here.

"They are people just like us, and this is an experience that no one would want for their own family," said Sagaria-Barritt.

Each year Colorado actually receives about three percent of the number of refugees who arrive in the country. There has been some opposition to how swiftly the U.S. is responding to the crisis in Ukraine. Some immigrant advocates have argued that the same treatment is not being granted to refugees from other countries fleeing similar violence.