Detained abroad: immigration detention, deportation

• In the US, Russian asylum seekers are widely held in ICE detention and deported; RADR estimates up to a thousand Russians are detained. There have been arrests straight after deportation to Moscow.
• Now: say you fear returning and are asking for asylum; demand a lawyer and an interpreter. Human rights groups advise signing nothing you can't read, especially consent to 'voluntary departure'.
• Tell your family your case number and where you are held. Keep copies of evidence of persecution with a trusted person outside Russia in advance.
• If removal is imminent: in Council of Europe countries a lawyer can urgently ask the ECHR for interim measures (Rule 39); in some countries, UN committees.
• Where to turn: RADR (US), UNHCR, GYLA (Georgia), PRO ASYL (Germany); if it's an extradition request: First Department and the 'Abroad and wanted' note.

Designations of organisations in this guide: Russian America for Democracy in Russia (RADR) (undesirable). Contacting them carries a risk: do not write from a phone that may be seized, and do not repost their materials.

current as of 25 September 2026. More: Boston Globe: the US is turning its back on Russian asylum seekers; First Department: extradition and deportation (foreign agent)