Arrests and swift deportations: Russians fleeing Putin's regime receive a cold reception in New York.

A Russian couple fled Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime and hoped for safety in the United States. But they found themselves imprisoned, interrogated, and without support, even from their compatriots. Their journey from Siberia to New York demonstrated that political asylum in America doesn't always mean protection. TheCity describes how Russian refugees in the United States face arrests and harsh treatment in immigrant prisons.

A Russian couple expected protection in the United States from prison sentences or being sent to war in Ukraine. Instead, as soon as they attempted to cross the border into California, border patrol officers handcuffed them and took them into custody.

This happened under President Joe Biden. They spent several months in prison.

Now their asylum case is slowly moving through immigration court in lower Manhattan. Every visit to the immigration office remains a source of anxiety for them. They risk being deported back to Russia.

According to the human rights organization Gulagu.net, on August 27, 2025 alone, more than 50 Russians, many of whom were seeking asylum, were deported on a charter flight from the United States.

For the safety of the subjects, the author of the article does not disclose names or biographical details.

Life in the Big Apple: Expectations vs. Reality

In New York, the couple hoped to find work and tolerance, but they encountered lines at free food banks, bureaucracy, and even hostility in the Russian-speaking diaspora.

"I took such a risk and ended up completely alone," the immigrant said. "I have a feeling that Russians who moved here in the 1990s, got green cards or passports, and consider themselves Americans don't welcome new immigrants."

On the subject: Russian arrested in New York immigration court: his Ukrainian wife fears she will soon be detained too

The only organization that provided them with assistance was RADR—Russian Americans for Democracy in Russia. This nonprofit group emerged in 2021 amid protests following the arrest of Alexei Navalny. It campaigns against Kremlin repression and collects donations for asylum seekers. The organization recently launched a database of problems faced by Russians and other citizens in US immigration detention centers.

From Siberia to Mexico

Before leaving for the United States, the couple lived a quiet life in Siberia. They had a mortgaged apartment and two cats.

"We're generally homebodies," his wife noted. "We've never even gone abroad on vacation."

Everything changed after the outbreak of full-scale war in Ukraine. They worked during the day, and at night they ran a popular anonymous Telegram channel against the war. The Russian woman, who dabbled in art in her free time, created political cartoons.

"We knew that one day the local authorities would deny everything, so we wanted to preserve the memory," she explained.

The couple openly supported the rights of indigenous peoples, condemned the arrests of activists, and refused to donate to the army when asked to do so at work. It was then, they believe, that the police and intelligence agencies began to monitor them.

I started getting calls and inquiries from employers and the police. I had to move from apartment to apartment, hiding my location.

"We were overcome with primal fear," the man admitted. "It reached the point of absurdity: we wrapped our phones in foil to avoid being tracked."

Without connections or support abroad, the couple began searching online. In the fall of 2023, they learned about CBP One, the Biden administration's app for filing asylum applications.

The program allowed people to sign up to cross the border, but was canceled on the first day of Donald Trump's return to the White House.

"That's exactly how CBP One was advertised," explained lawyer Yulia Nikolaeva, who represents Russian dissidents in the United States. "And that's exactly what people believed."

The couple flew to Mexico and waited for an application to enter the US. The wait stretched out to eight months.

"We hardly left the house for the first four months," the woman recalled of that time. "We were still digesting what had happened in Russia."

Shock notification

When the notification finally arrived about their acceptance to Calixico, California, for the summer of 2024, the couple felt not relief but numbness.

"I didn't feel happy," the woman concluded. "So many hopes, so much effort wasted. If only we had known."

Expectations collided with reality. The couple couldn't have known that their border crossing coincided with major changes. For months, CBP One had been operating without a hitch.

"People were screened, and if everything was clear, they were released," explained Nikolaeva's lawyer.

But in the summer of 2024, this process was abruptly halted for citizens of Russia and some other post-Soviet countries. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began detaining all holders of Russian passports by default, without official explanation.

"When I started talking about this, no one believed me," Nikolaeva claims. "It was no secret. By August, the DHS [Department of Homeland Security] officially confirmed to me in court: we have special directives for Russians."

Separation and life in a "parallel universe"

The couple was separated. They were taken on separate buses to a detention center, which they later described as a "parallel universe." They spent the next six months there, until the end of 2024.

"Some prisoners criticized the Democrats because they were detained under Biden," the Russian noted. "But I understood our situation wouldn't improve."

His wife bought a box of pencils from the center's store and began drawing scenes of extreme abuse in the detention center. It was a rare glimpse inside the system.

"Everything there was built on intimidation," the immigrant assured. "Day after day, they told us: If you don't obey, we'll deport you. Break the rules, and you'll be deported."

He spoke of being denied medical care and suffering severe depression caused by isolation and separation from his family.

"In our country, they say: Russia is a country of prisons," he stated. "But here, the United States is a country of detention centers."

Alternative to imprisonment and new fears

They were released only on New Year's Eve under ICE's Alternative to Detention program and fitted with electronic tracking devices. The couple is currently awaiting their asylum trial, scheduled for next year. The tracking devices have been replaced with an app requiring regular reporting. RADR volunteers helped them find legal support and settle in New York City. The couple remains wary of the city's large Russian-speaking community.

Dmitry Valuev, head of RADR, notes that in the diaspora, some advocate for change, while others support Putin. Most émigrés avoid the topic entirely.

"Many Russians in New York and in the US generally don't have a clear position on Putin's policies. They don't always identify as Russian," he asserted.

Political sentiment and attitudes towards new immigrants

Many support Trump with a pronounced anti-immigrant stance.

"I see a sense of superiority among those who arrived 20 or 30 years ago and think everything is legal. They came under a program created like CBP One, and they're no better. But now these people are saying, 'Why are you coming here? We don't need you,'" Nikolaeva shared her observations.

Such sentiments have also permeated local politics.

"I'm a legal immigrant. My father is a legal immigrant. They arrived through a completely different route," argued Michael Novakhov, a post-Soviet émigré and Republican member of the Brooklyn Assembly.

The couple continues to run an anti-war Telegram channel and participate in marches in support of Ukraine, but every ICE raid is accompanied by fear, which has intensified under the Trump administration.

Increasing rigidity of the system

Transferring individuals across jurisdictions is nothing new in the immigration system. But under the new administration, it's happening faster and more consistently.

Trump has equated all immigrants with illegal immigrants, and all illegal immigrants with criminals. This includes Russian refugees who, although without official status, are legally in the country awaiting trial.

"There are illegal immigrants and immigrants without status—these are two different concepts," Nikolaeva explained.

For Russian refugees, the consequences are twofold. They must endure harsh detention conditions while simultaneously preparing their cases under strict supervision. More and more Russian activists are being deported back and face potential persecution.

From the US to Russian prisons

ICE does not publish data on the number of Russian or former Soviet citizens detained. According to TRAC at Syracuse University, the number runs into the thousands.

"The situation is very fluid. People are being deported, and we don't know how the numbers are changing every day," the lawyer commented.

"Thousands are in custody, others have been released but remain under surveillance. They could be detained at any moment. They simply don't have the capacity to hold them all," she explained.

From Nikolaeva's perspective, this isn't just the actions of individual officers or judges. Since the arrival of the Trump administration, the immigration system has become more restrictive at every level, from ICE to immigration courts. Judges have tightened their grip on Russian cases under pressure to minimize asylum grants.

Nikolaeva recalled one episode. The judge said that under Russian law, charges for "discrediting" the army start with a fine, but the punishment could include imprisonment with documented cases of torture.

"We hope your client gets a fine and not jail," the judge suggested.

Nikolaeva could only ask: "How can I assess my chances? How can I know if I'll get a fine or jail time?"

Ultimately, the asylum application was rejected.

Cases that show reality

Lawyers, volunteers, and refugees point to the case of Leonid Milekhin. He was deported to Russia in the summer, where a criminal case had already been opened for justifying terrorism. He posted a poster with the slogan "murderer, fascist, usurper" about Russian President Vladimir Putin. He was immediately arrested by Russian authorities.

"This is the reality that Russian refugees face," concluded Valuev, head of RADR.

Russian human rights activist Vladimir Osechkin, founder of Gulagu.net, is tracking the latest deportations from the United States. According to him, Russian authorities are waiting at Moscow airports to arrest returnees. Asylum case documents may be handed over to Russian authorities.

"Frankly speaking, I think there is some kind of agreement between Trump and Putin," Nikolaeva suspected.

Her prognosis is grim: "More lost cases mean more deportations."

Trump supporter Michael Novakhov called such incidents "unacceptable," but he considered them "collateral damage."

"When you chop down a forest, the chips fly. When you try to do something, there are always casualties," he is convinced.

For a couple from Siberia, it was a matter of life and death. Fleeing Russia, they felt like they were being hunted. And now they were being sent back to the same pursuer.