‘I Don’t Cry Anymore’: Russian Dissidents Face Deportation in US Detention

Natalia fled Russia fearing imminent arrest for her family’s opposition activism and sought political asylum in the United States. Yet, instead of refuge, she has spent over a year in detention, separated from her husband and children, and lives in constant fear of deportation.

Rights activists warn that deporting Russian dissidents exposes them to prison and persecution back in Russia, especially amid the Trump administration’s heightened anti-immigration measures.

“I supported the opposition, I supported activists who opposed Vladimir Putin’s regime,” Natalia told AFP from an immigration detention centre in Louisiana. “If I return to Russia, I will be arrested.”

Clad in an orange prison uniform, Natalia shares a dormitory with around 60 other women, sleeping on bunk beds. Showers and toilets are situated in the same room, behind curtains that offer little privacy or respite from the foul odours.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, tens of thousands of Russians have applied for political asylum in the United States, many crossing from Mexico.

Official data indicates that around 85% of Russian asylum claims adjudicated last year were approved. However, detainees, lawyers, and rights groups report that denials have increased, with many asylum seekers subjected to arbitrary detention and limited opportunities to defend themselves in court.

Nearly 900 Russians, many of them asylum seekers, have been deported since 2022.

• Over the summer, approximately 100 were deported via two specially chartered flights, preventing them from seeking refuge in a third country, according to Russian America for Democracy in Russia (RADR) and the Russian Antiwar Committee.
• Upon arrival in Russia, deportees faced lengthy interrogations, and at least two were arrested, including a serviceman who deserted during the Ukraine invasion and an opposition activist.

“It’s a catastrophe,” said Dmitry Valuev, RADR president. “They are deporting people who face real danger in Russia.”

Natalia and her husband are long-time political activists, campaigning for the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny. His organisation has been outlawed in Russia, declared “extremist,” and his supporters have faced persecution.

After a police raid on their Moscow apartment in 2023, Natalia’s husband and their pre-teen son flew to Mexico and crossed the US border. They were released on parole in a midwestern state while awaiting their asylum hearings.

Natalia followed a year later but was detained. She has spent nearly 18 months in jail, one of an estimated 1,000 Russian citizens held in US immigration facilities, according to RADR.

Lawyers highlight that married couples are often separated in detention, weakening the chances of a successful asylum claim for one spouse.

In April, a judge denied Natalia’s asylum request, despite documented arrests and involvement in a banned opposition group. She has filed an appeal.

“I have a deep sense of disappointment,” Natalia said. “I could never believe I would be treated in court the same way as in Russia.”

Another Russian asylum seeker held with Natalia has also lost her case and awaits deportation.

Her husband, Yuri, was deported on a commercial flight over the summer but managed to disembark in Morocco and buy a ticket to a third country. He fears his wife will not have the same opportunity, especially in the case of mass deportation flights.

“It’s completely inhumane not to give people an opportunity to get off the flight,” Yuri told AFP. “Fine, you want to kick them out of America, but to do this?”

US officials declined to comment on recent deportations of Russian citizens.