Klobuchar’s office helped secure an expedited visa for Valentyna to leave Kharkiv and join her daughter, Anna, in Minnesota in time for Mother’s Day
WASHINGTON - Local TV across Minnesota highlighted U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)’s meeting this weekend with Anna Hansen and her mother, Valentyna Zinchenko, a Ukrainian mother and daughter reunited in Minnesota with help from Senator Klobuchar and her office.
“A Ukrainian mother and daughter were reunited in Minnesota. We're hearing from them for the first time today. Anna Hansen was a grad student in Mankato when the invasion began. She wanted to get her mother out of Kharkiv,” KSTP detailed. “She reached out to Senator Amy Klobuchar's office to expedite her mother's visa and get her to the United States. And then last month, the mother and daughter were reunited. Her mom was even able to attend her daughter's graduation.”
“A Ukrainian native in Minnesota was able to give her mother the very best Mother’s Day gift of all with the help of Senator Amy Klobuchar: she was able to bring her mom to Minnesota just in time for her graduation,” said KMSP.
“Separated by war but reunited just in time for Mother’s Day, a mother and daughter are back together after months apart…The story behind this reunion…shows us how Senator Amy Klobuchar helped make it possible,” WCCO highlighted. “It was Anna’s mission to get her mother out of Ukraine and then to Minnesota…Klobuchar’s office went through the U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt, Germany to gain approval for Zinchenko’s visa petition…On April 28th, Valentyna arrived safely to her new home.”
“Anna says she's grateful her mother was there for her graduation. The two even spotting their native flag at the [graduation] ceremony. They’re spending their first Mother’s Day together in the United States,” said KARE.
“In a feel-good story just in time for Mother’s Day... a Ukrainian mother and daughter have been reunited in Minnesota,” KIMT shared. “Zinchenko hid in a cellar for nine days as [Kharkiv] faced constant bombardment. That’s when Hansen reached out to U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar's office which helped Zinchenko find safe passage to Germany, where she successfully secured an immigrant visa.”
“A Ukrainian daughter and her mother are reunited in Minnesota, just in time for Mother’s Day. Anna’s mother, Valentyna Zinchenko, was living in a northeastern Ukrainian city targeted by Russian forces. With Klobuchar's help, she was able to come to Minnesota on April 28th, in time for her daughter's graduation and Mother’s Day,” KTTC featured.
Last month, Hansen, a Ukrainian graduate student at Minnesota State University Mankato, reached out to Klobuchar’s office asking for assistance in expediting her mother’s pending visa petition. Her mother, Zinchenko, was living in Kharkiv, a city in northeastern Ukraine which has been targeted by Russian forces since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Klobuchar’s office reached out to the U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt, Germany and successfully secured approval for Zinchenko’s visa petition. Following a 36-hour train ride from Kharkiv via Poland to Germany, Zinchenko and Hansen were reunited in Frankfurt. Hansen and Zinchenko applied for the immigrant visa together at the US Consulate in Frankfurt and Zinchenko traveled to Minnesota on April 28.
Klobuchar has actively worked to help Minnesotans affected by Putin’s senseless invasion of Ukraine. In March, she helped secure the release of Tyler Jacob, a Winona native unjustly detained by Russian forces. Her office worked closely with Tyler’s family, the State Department, and the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to locate Tyler and facilitate his safe return to Minnesota.
In March, Klobuchar also successfully pushed the Biden administration to grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ukrainians living in the U.S. to prevent them from being forced to return to Ukraine during the ongoing conflict.
Photos can be downloaded HERE.
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