A Lexington-based humanitarian effort that once welcomed Ukrainian refugees fleeing war is now fighting to keep them from being deported.
In 2021, a phone call from News-Gazette publisher Matt Paxton sparked a movement that led to the founding of Hosting Ukrainian Families (HUF), a grassroots network that welcomed four Ukrainian families to the area beginning in 2022. The original effort was hailed as a success, with community support helping these families establish lives, learn English, and find employment.
But in the wake of new immigration policies under the Trump administration, the group has reformed under a new name and a renewed mission.
“We used to call ourselves HUF — Hosting Ukrainian Families,” said longtime organizer Jerry Nay. “Now we’re still HUF, but calling ourselves Helping Ukrainian Families. We’ve gone from hosting to helping.”
That shift in language reflects a much more urgent reality. Earlier this year, Nay explained, the families received formal notices from federal immigration authorities stating that they had seven days to leave the country.
“It turned out to be a mistake. The administration rescinded the order — but not before it caused a huge amount of consternation and concern,” Nay said. “All 15 of our Ukrainians — seven adults and eight children — got those letters. And even though the mistake was corrected, they know that kind of thinking is in the pipeline.”
The root of the concern lies in a March 6 announcement that the Trump administration intends to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for an estimated 240,000 Ukrainians currently living in the U.S. While legal challenges and policy adjustments continue to unfold, the specter of deportation has placed renewed stress on families who once believed they were safe.
“Two of the four mothers got very, very sick from the stress. We’re staying in contact with them nearly every day just to reassure them we’re doing everything we can,” Nay said.
In response, Nay reassembled many of the same community members who helped house and support the families during their arrival. Now a coalition of 16 individuals, including members of Grace Episcopal and Lexington Presbyterian churches, has formed Helping Ukrainian Families to navigate the legal complexities of asylum.
“I immediately employed an immigration attorney in Northern Virginia,” Nay said. “I’m paying her a retainer that will probably last at least a year or two, because asylum takes that long.”
He added: “It’s a very difficult, costly project with a lot of opportunities for mistakes, by omission as well as commission. That’s why we need expert help.”
The challenge is further complicated by technicalities. In order to apply for asylum, individuals must do so within one year of arrival. For these families, that deadline has long since passed. But with legal counsel, Nay believes there’s still a pathway — albeit a narrow one.
“We can’t guarantee they’ll get asylum. The rules seem to change at the whim of the administration,” he said. “But I’m confident we can get them on the track.”
Nay provided detailed updates on the four families still supported by the effort — many of whom have since moved but remain emotionally and financially tied to the Lexington community.
Inna and her son Ilya, both Ukrainian nationals, have settled in Lexington, where Inna works in food services at Kendal. “She’s virtually fluent in English now,” Nay said. “The residents at Kendal love her to pieces.”
Svitlana and her husband Mykola also remain in Lexington. With support from HUF donors, Nay raised tuition for Mykola to complete a commercial driver’s license (CDL) program at Mountain Gateway Community College. He’s now fully employed and financially self-sufficient.
Ola and Andrii, who moved to Harrisonburg to join a larger Ukrainian community, also received CDL training support and are now sustaining themselves through Andrii’s work in commercial trucking. “We still help them,” Nay said. “It’s like a family. When the children move away, you still support them.”
Rymma and Volodymyr relocated to Ephrata, Pa., where they reunited with family members, in addition to joining a larger Ukrainian community. “Their children are thriving in school, and teachers have bent over backwards to help them,” Nay said.
Many of the families continue to contribute to the HUF fund themselves — Nay noted that Inna has even been donating to the group’s “legal war chest.”
The original HUF effort involved over 140 local volunteers. So far, local support for the new incarnation of HUF has been strong and growing.
“When I started calling people again, after more than 50 calls, I had no one say they wouldn’t help,” Nay said. “It’s been a tremendous outpouring of humanitarian outreach.”
He’s currently dropping off letters at homes flying Ukrainian flags, including a QR code that links to a GoFundMe page, gathering donations that will go directly toward legal help for the families to achieve asylum. That page can be found at https://gofund.me/a509a2b6.
Contributions are also accepted by mail through HUF treasurer Matt Fogo, at 125 Buckland Drive, Lexington, VA, 24450.
“People are starting to respond,” Nay said. “It’s working through the grapevine. I’m getting wonderful support from Kendal and from the general public.”
Nay emphasized that the general public often misunderstands the nature of temporary protected status.
“The big misperception is not understanding the word temporary,” he said. “Every one of our Ukrainians exceeded their first two-year limit. They’ve applied for, and received, extensions through 2026 — but with this administration that can be changed in a second.”
Which is why, he said, the group’s mission has two goals: “First, to get them on a firm track to asylum. But the second, and more important, goal is to assure them we’re here to help them and to love them.”
As he put it, that’s something the community can provide right now.
“If they would hold all these people, not only our 15, but the thousands of people that are in this predicament—there are 240,000 Ukrainians in America right now—hold them in their prayers, that the reasonable and rightful solution will be attained.
“And please continue your financial support. We do anticipate it will take a good bit of funds to get them protected in the long term,” Nay said.
