Please help this Minneapolis, Kenwood Community School Family. Due to unforeseen immigration fees they are hoping to raise funds to help cover rent, bills, and future immigration fees. Here is their story:

We arrived in Minneapolis two years ago after fleeing Kyiv. At the beginning of the war, we immediately headed to the Ukrainian border, living in a car with two children and a dog — all the hotels were full. I managed to send my wife and children to Germany. I stayed in Ukraine, living in a car for a month as Kyiv was surrounded by Russian troops. My wife and children returned 100 days later. She later became pregnant and gave birth to twins. But that day, we were attacked by missiles and drones. It was scary.

Before the babies were born, people from Minneapolis found us and offered to move to the United States. They helped us with the documents. We sold everything we could and set off with our 5-year-old, 2-year-old, and 2-month-old twins. The journey took eight days — there are no flights in Ukraine, so we had to fly through four countries. They found us our first apartment and a car. After a year, I had adapted and started repairing cars. Although I had previously been a children's writer in Ukraine, I couldn't make it here.

The government told us to apply for free extensions six months before the parole period expired, and we did everything. But when the new administration came in — no extensions. They also banned us from working. In early 2026, our family's psychological state worsened. My wife stayed home with the kids for two months. I don't know how she managed it, but God bless her.

Then we received notifications that our cases had been approved — but we needed to pay a new fee, $1,020 per person. $6,120 total, within 20 days, or we would be deported. It's hard when they don't give you time, they don't let you work, but you have to pay.

We considered leaving, but our passports had expired and couldn't be renewed. We couldn't leave the country. People were being picked up on the streets and sent to detention centers, even with documents.

We left Ukraine to save our children during the war. We liked your country for what it was — we read and studied, hoping it would be a democratic country. Unfortunately, things didn't work out that way.