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Russian immigrant still detained by ICE after 11 months despite deportation order

Aug 2025·Location: Tacoma, WA

Country of origin: Russia

Russian immigrant still detained by ICE after 11 months despite deportation order
Photo via chronline.com

Yury Saaryan, a Russian national who overstayed his tourist visa, went to an ICE office in August 2025 seeking help returning to Russia but was detained instead. An immigration judge granted him voluntary departure in November 2025, but ICE has not arranged his removal despite his repeated requests and three hunger strikes, citing delays obtaining travel documents from Russia. Saaryan has now been held for about 11 months and filed a federal habeas corpus petition seeking his release, which a U.S. District Court in Washington denied without prejudice in July 2026.

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