ARVADA, Colo. (KDVR) — Kostiantyn Mukhin and Eugenia Karkina love all things Ukraine. They’re so proud of their native country, they opened up food trucks right here in Colorado, serving the hearty Ukrainian food they grew up on.
“We started work with a tent at a farmer’s market,” Mukhin, owner of Sunflower Ukrainian Foods, told FOX31.
But as much as they love their homeland 6,000 miles away, they don’t want to be sent back to a dangerous war zone. Which is exactly their fear at the moment with an uncertain immigration future.
The two fled war-torn Kherson, Ukraine, and came to Colorado in the summer of 2022 with their daughter.
“We just took this opportunity, because at least this was the peaceful country,” Karkina said.
They’re among the 240,000 Ukrainians who came to America during the war through a program that gave them temporary legal status here and the right to work.
“Because of what was demolished (back home in Ukraine), we had to start from zero (here in America). So being able to work was like a blessing,” Karkina said.
But some of the temporary protections that brought Ukrainian refugees to America are set to expire. And Mukhin and Karkina say they have no guarantees their status will be maintained.
“If people have been in drastic situations like us, we can apply for asylum. But all of the programs are on pause. So our asylum (application) is still pending, (and has been) for a year and more,” Karina said.
If their application for asylum is eventually denied, their right to work here would be revoked, meaning there’s a fear they could have to go back to the war zone. Last month, US Senators sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Joseph Edlow, Director of U . S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, asking them to fast-track pending applications.
Mukhin and Karkina hope it works. They’ve created a new livelihood and built a new life in Colorado.
“I think this winter, we’ll build two more trailers and try to get our first employees,” Muhkin said.
Now they just hope they can call Colorado home long-term.
“We were part of really active community (in Ukraine). We want to be part of it here, and to provide more, and to make this community here even prosper more. We just need to be given an opportunity to do it,” Karkina said.
Anthony Sutton is a business strategist and writer with a passion for management, leadership, and entrepreneurship. With years of experience in the corporate world, he shares insights on business growth, strategy, and innovation through management-opleiding.org.
