I’ve been racking my brain trying to think of a way to make a story sexy. Make a story so interesting that it gets the attention of the media and the politicians. Make a story about the plight of Ukrainian immigrants who are caught in a Catch-22, emotional enough to get people to really give a damn.

You see, I recently met with Amanda Hall. Amanda formed an organization called Orel Alliance. Orel Alliance was started to aid those Ukrainians who fled to America to be safe from the unprovoked Russian attack on their country.

Now, when the war first started it was easy to get people invested in their story. The TV cameras could show refugees landing in America along with images of bombed-out buildings in their homeland.

But that was over 4 years ago. A lot has happened since then. Our immigration policies have changed. Government agencies that were set up to help these people have been drastically cut back or eliminated. Russia’s attacks have worsened. People who came into this country legally, willing and able to work, find themselves caught up in a bureaucratic nightmare of trying to get the right paperwork filed to allow them to get and keep a job.

If they can get a work permit, it takes anywhere from 3-20 months to renew with no rhyme or reason for the approval process, and it costs $2,350. If they are caught working without one, they will automatically be sent back to war-torn Ukraine or some other country they’ve never been to.

Not only that, but those work permits that used to be good for 2-5 years are now only valid for one year or less once they get it. It’s a real mess.

But we’re talking about government workers and paperwork. Not a very sexy story. Not something that looks good on TV, Facebook, or TikTok. I’ll bet some readers who started with this story have stopped reading by now. With our short attention spans, they probably went to something a lot sexier and not so depressing.

America’s supposed to be the good guys, aren’t we? Aren’t we the ones who welcomed the tired, huddled masses yearning to be free? Should the tablets in the Statue of Liberty’s hands that signify the rule of law be replaced by a clipboard showing these immigrants the way out?

And these Ukrainian immigrants are abiding by the rule of law. They came into this country legally. About half have Temporary Protection Status but that expires on the 19th of this month.

So what happens then?

There are people in our current administration who think having empathy is a sign of weakness. I disagree. Empathy is one of the things that makes this country great.

But I get it. There’s only so much empathy a person can offer. We all have to be there for our friends and families going through tough times. You can’t turn on the TV late at night without seeing an emotional PSA asking to help kids with cancer, starving people in Africa, or dogs that have been abandoned and left for dead.

With all that competition pulling at your heartstrings asking for donations, on top of the added stress on your budget with rising gas prices and food costs, it’s hard to break through to get you to care about the situation these Ukrainians find themselves in.

Orel Alliance is a 501(c)(3) founded by Amanda Hall. They have a low overhead and big needs.

Go to OrelAlliance.org to find out more about these Ukrainian families living in America; many of them are your neighbors in Omaha. And while you’re there, hit the donate button to help them out. If everyone gives a little, it can add up to a lot.

These are good, hardworking people who are being held back by government paperwork. They are in the country legally for the time being, but unless things change quickly, their Temporary Protection Status could go away.

Maybe if the media gets pictures of scared Ukrainians getting on a plane to be deported, it will get the politicians’ and public’s attention. Those images are a lot sexier than lawyers dealing with bureaucracy, but by then it will be too late.

Tom Becka is a long time Nebraska broadcaster who for over 30 years has been covering Omaha and Midwest issues on both radio and TV. He has been a guest on numerous national cable and news shows, filled in for nationally syndicated talk radio programs and Talkers Magazine has recognized him as one of the Top 100 talk show hosts in the country 10 times. Never afraid to ruffle some feathers, his ‘Becka’s Beat’ commentaries can be found online on Youtube and other digital platforms.

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