Russian Asylum Seekers Flock to the US Southern Border
Since Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “partial mobilization” of the country’s military reservists for the war in Ukraine in September 2022, an increasing number of Russian citizens have been seeking shelter in the United States.
According to data posted by American border authorities, the number of Russian citizens encountered by US Customs and Border Protection has almost tripled, from 1,645 Russians in August 2022 to 4,509 in January.
A total of 21,763 Russians have tried entering the US through the southern border since October 2022, a month after the partial mobilization was announced — compared to just 467 in the fiscal year 2020.
US Customs and Border Protection data shows a 4,560% increase in the number of Russians trying to enter the US from 2020 to 2022.
A report from CNN cited a family that entered the southern border through humanitarian parole, a program that enables individuals otherwise ineligible for admission to enter the US for a temporary period for urgent humanitarian reasons.
Asylum seekers are given a notice for an individual hearing in immigration court as they’re allowed temporary entry to the US. The dates for these notices can be months, even over a year away from when they’re issued. For some, the ruling on whether they will be granted asylum can take years, due to a current backlog of more than two million cases and counting in the federal immigration court.
Requests of Russian asylum seekers, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in September, will be reviewed on a case-to-case basis.
An analysis of government data by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University shows that US immigration authorities have issued about four times as many notices to appear in immigration court just from August 2022, a month before the partial mobilization, to December 2022. 6,991 notices were issued in December, compared to 1,799 in August.
Information for this briefing was found via CNN, the Wall Street Journal, and the sources and companies mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to the organizations discussed. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.
