Supervisor Joel Anderson requests federal money for Ukrainian refugee resettlement

As San Diego County prepares to receive Ukrainian refugees, Supervisor Joel Anderson has asked President Joe Biden for federal aid with resettlement services.

“As the number of people fleeing Ukraine continues to increase, coupled with your recent decision to admit 100,000 refugees into the U.S., the citizens of San Diego are once again willing to welcome the displaced with open arms,” Anderson wrote to Biden Monday. “However, to do so successfully will require additional funding from the Administration to support this population.”

San Diego County officials announced last week that they plan to welcome Ukranians fleeing their country following the Russian invasion. Officials did not say how many they expect to receive, but said San Diego is a key location for refugees arriving in the United States.

San Diego County began receiving Afghan refugees following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan last year, and to date has received more than a quarter of the 11,000 Afghan refugees who settled in California, Anderson’s office stated. The county’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs has worked with state and federal agencies to provide food, housing, health care and other services to those new arrivals.

Anderson asked Biden provide for funding proportional to the number of refugees received, stating that would reduce strain on the county’s resettlement agencies and local organizations.

Last year, Anderson asked federal authorities to use an estimated $9.5 billion in frozen Afghan government assets to pay for resettlement activities. On Monday, he requested that Biden use frozen Russian government assets to cover resources and services for Ukrainian refugees.

Anderson also said the county could see more immigrants entering the U.S. at the San Diego-Tijuana port of entry, following the withdrawal of Title 42, a 1944 statute that gave federal health officials authority to restrict immigration if they believe a communicable disease in a foreign country poses a danger to the U.S. The policy was reprised under the Trump administration and is under litigation now.