GREENSBORO, N.C. — Dasha Chube, a Greensboro woman originally from Ukraine, is hoping more can be done to help Ukrainian people come to the United States to be with their families.
"This has been very disappointing that (the) United States has not been able to put something together yet," Chube said.
Chube has several family members still in Ukraine. She said some of them are now doing okay, but her 87-year-old grandfather is still in Kharkiv, which has been heavily attacked by Russia.
"Right now for him to get out of Kharkiv it means to get on the train for at least 12 to 18 hours on the train, standing up most likely. He won’t be able to sit down because of the amount of people that are trying to get on each train so it’s not something that, with his health, he can do," Chube said.
Chube met with Congresswoman Kathy Manning to work on establishing a way for Ukrainian people to be reunited with their families, without going through the red tape of visas or fully immigrating.
"My family, they do not want to immigrate to the United States," Chube said. "A lot of people I talk to, they do not want to move here. We just want to (...) share our home with them for the time while the war is happening."
Chube said Manning was receptive to the ideas they presented.
"It was very, very good," said Chube. "It made us feel like (the) change (is) possible."
News 2 did reach out to Manning's office for a statement Thursday but a spokesperson said they were not able to send a statement by News 2's deadline.
Chube also works for Fred Astaire Dance Studios in Greensboro, which is owned by two Ukrainians.
"Well at this point they are just they are not even scared anymore because it’s been going for 22 days," said the studios' co-owner Alosha Anatoliy. "They are just waiting for this to end, of course, but the scary part is gone for them."
Anatoliy said his family is staying in Ukraine right now and doesn't want to leave.
"Right now I totally believe that Ukraine is gonna win for sure," Anatoliy said.