Chair Dr. Raul Ruiz Joins Congressional Delegation to Ukraine Border in Poland
For Immediate Release:
Friday, March 4, 2022
Contact:
202-841-2996
Chair Dr. Raul Ruiz Joins Congressional Delegation to Ukraine Border in Poland
Washington, D.C. – Today, Chair Raul Ruiz, M.D. will join a bipartisan Congressional Delegation led by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory W. Meeks to the border of Poland and Ukraine to assess the developing humanitarian crisis following Russia's invasion into Ukraine. Dr. Ruiz, who chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and is trained in humanitarian and disaster aid, will be the only member of the California delegation to attend.
"More than a million refugees are fleeing Ukraine for their lives. Ripped away from their homes, families, and everything they know, they journey toward a safe place to rebuild their lives. Now is the time to help, which is why, as an emergency medicine physician trained in humanitarian aid, I am honored to represent the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in the House Foreign Affairs Committee's Congressional Delegation to Poland," said Chair Dr. Ruiz. "While we assess the humanitarian crisis, I will connect with refugees and continue to advocate for them as they seek asylum and Temporary Protect Status (TPS) in the United States."
The delegation will meet with Secretary Blinken, Ambassador Mark Brzezinski, national and local and Polish officials, USAID's Disaster Assistance Response Team, and Ukrainian civil society activists. They will receive briefings from the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division, meet with U.S. service members, and assess the needs at the Polish border which has received the largest influx of refugees fleeing Ukraine.
In addition to Chairman Meeks and Dr. Ruiz, the delegation includes Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Michael McCaul (R-TX) as well as Representatives Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA), Ann Wagner (R-MO), David Cicilline (D-RI), Brian Fitzpatrick, (R-PA), and Susan Wild (D-PA).
The CHC will continue to monitor the evolving, complex humanitarian crisis in Ukraine while ensuring we defend and advocate for asylum seekers.
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The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), founded in December 1976, is organized as a Congressional Member organization, governed under the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives. The CHC is dedicated to voicing and advancing, through the legislative process, issues affecting Hispanics in the United States, Puerto Rico and U.S. Territories.