Biden announces 'streamlined' program to welcome Ukrainian refugees, but tells them not to enter through Mexico

• Biden announced a program for Ukrainian refugees that would allow them to migrate directly from Europe to the US.
• The program will "complement the existing legal pathways" like immigrant visas and refugee processing.

President Joe Biden on Thursday announced a new "streamlined" program to welcome Ukrainian refugees to the US but warned them not to enter the country through the Mexican border.

At a briefing Thursday from the White House, Biden announced Unite for Ukraine, a new, expedited channel for Ukrainian refugees to migrate to the United States directly from Europe.

"This new humanitarian parole program will complement the existing legal pathways available to Ukrainians, including immigrant visas and refugee processing," Biden said.

Biden said the program will "provide an expedient channel for secure and legal migration from Europe to the United States for Ukrainians who have a US sponsor, like family or an NGO."

"It will ensure the United States honors our commitment to the people of Ukraine and need not go through our southern border," he added.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, more than five million Ukrainians have fled their country since Russia invaded on February 24.

Biden said that the US has already accepted "tens of thousands" of refugees and will continue to work toward its initial promise of accepting 100,000 refugees. The new program will work in conjunction with the former, Biden said.