Why I don’t complain about NJ welcoming families from Ukraine

A sad fact about the news cycle in this country is that if a story goes on long enough with little change, no matter how heinous the situation it may be, people get so used to it that they forget about it and become desensitized.

But New Jersey is not forgetting about the Ukraine crisis.

Just this past week 14 children, accompanied by their guardians, were welcomed into New Jersey in hopes of a better life.

The families were greeted with open arms as the mayor hosted an informal gathering at Jersey City City Hall in their recognition. The mayor also offered the families any health services needed as they will be without their formal healthcare for quite some time.

Mayor Fulop's parents were immigrants themselves, and he hopes these children won’t have to endure as many hardships as they did.

Upon their arrival, the children of all ages were welcomed with toys, T-shirts and other sweets. Carlo’s Bakery even sent over cupcakes with blue and yellow frosting in support of Ukraine.

These actions were done in an effort to ease the transition for children and families coming over from Ukraine who may not yet be able to understand exactly what is happening to them. It is uncertain when and if the families will get to return home, so Mayor Fulop is doing his best to make New Jersey feel like it for now.

By the way, all of the families are in America legally, having procured traveler’s visas when they first fled, unaware of how long they’d have to stay.

Some of the children will also be continuing their education online while in the States, and will be provided with the resources they need to do so.

Last month, President Biden said that the USA would take around 100,000 refugees, and people weren’t happy about it. Using our tax dollars to provide a safe haven for these people. But we’re not talking about people who are trying to illegally cross the border to make money to send home to their families. These are people whose very existence is being threatened and who desperately want to return home when it’s all over.

I’m a defender of these families coming here, calling the U.S. a temporary home. And I don’t mind sheltering them, allowing them to continue living their lives to the best of their ability until it is safe to return home.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco only.

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