Under Joe Biden's presidency, there was a shift in the treatment of Russian asylum seekers in the US. Initially released while awaiting hearings, many since last summer have been detained, with reports indicating long waits for resolution. Immigration attorney Julia Nikolaev highlighted that Russian detainees dominate facilities, with children separated from families. Personal accounts, like that of Alexei Demin, illustrate the desperation and fear behind these asylum claims, fueled by oppressive measures from the Russian regime particularly after the invasion of Ukraine.
My Russian clients tell me, 'Now our prison is 80% Russian, the remaining 20% are from rotating nationalities who stay for a while,' said immigration attorney Julia Nikolaev, who has been advocating for detainees' rights alongside representatives of the Russian opposition. Only Russians and a few other post-Soviet nationals remain in detention until their final hearings.
When Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a colleague asked Demin why he wasn't enlisting to fight. He replied: 'If I go, it will be on Ukraine's side.' Soon, as the crackdown on dissent in Russia intensified amid the war, Demin and his wife, like many others who had long openly opposed Putin, fled to the US to seek political asylum.
#us-immigration #russian-asylum-seekers #political-detention #biden-administration #opposition-to-putin
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