Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the US has taken in thousands of Ukrainian refugees under a special simplified program launched by the Joe Biden administration..

In an interview for ZN. UA former Republican congressman Ralph Abraham supported the American decision to open its doors to people fleeing the Russian war.

“Regarding the refugee situation: if we need to accept these people, help them, put them on their feet, help them return home when the time comes, then this is a noble goal.. And that is what the US should always stand for,” he said..

However, Congressman Abraham backed President Donald Trump's 2017 executive order, which critics called " The decision reduced the number of refugees admitted by the US that year to 50,000.. And people from Syria were generally banned from crossing the American border for an indefinite period.. Abraham admits he backed Trump's decision at the time, but he says the situation in 2017 was very different from today..

“The difference is that back in 2017, when President Trump signed his executive order, we were unable to effectively take in these refugees..

People arrived who did not necessarily have refugee status. These were chaotic times, simply because the US could not verify that specific individuals at the time did not turn out to be someone who was not very friendly to the United States.. Therefore, there is a big difference between those times and what the United States is doing now for our Ukrainian friends who have become refugees,” he explained..

Read the full interview with former Republican Congressman Ralph Abraham for ZN. U.A..