In Deep Red Iowa, Ukrainians Found Home and Community. Now Their Fate Is in Limbo.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022, many Americans rallied behind Ukrainians in a rare moment of solidarity. Charity drives sprung up. Ukrainian flags hung from storefronts.
And in a corner of the Midwest that had sheltered Southeast Asian refugees half a century before, Angela Boelens was determined to see her community become part of the effort to protect Ukrainians fleeing the war.
After months of winding her way through a detailed government vetting process, Ms. Boelens became one of the first Americans to bring over a Ukrainian family: the Hedzhymanovis (and their big, fluffy white cat, a Turkish Angora mix named Barzick).
Business and community leaders across eastern Iowa and western Illinois came together to help the family and other Ukrainian arrivals find housing and jobs. Ms. Boelens, a college professor, started a nonprofit called IA Nice that had helped more than 75 refugees resettle in DeWitt, Iowa, a Republican stronghold of 5,000 people just north of Davenport. Some people now call the community 'Little Ukraine.'
But the Ukrainian families that thought they had found refuge in DeWitt have been plunged into increasing uncertainty since Donald J. Trump returned to the White House.
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