Federal Charges and Deportation – Can They Send Me Back to Russia?

Federal Charges and Deportation – Can They Send Me Back to Russia?

You came to America for a better life. Maybe you’ve been here for decades. Maybe you have a green card, a business, a family, children who are American citizens. And now you’re facing federal criminal charges – fraud, tax evasion, money laundering, something else – and there’s a terrifying question in the back of your mind that you’re almost afraid to ask out loud: Can they send me back to Russia?

The answer is yes. Not theoretically. Not someday. Right now, in 2025, the United States is actively deporting Russian nationals back to Russia. And what’s waiting for them when they land is worse than most people realize.

Here’s what nobody is telling you: there may be no direct flights between the US and Russia, but ICE has established a deportation route through Egypt. Groups of 30 to 60 Russian deportees are flown together to Cairo, where escape is impossible. When they land in Moscow, the FSB is waiting. Some are interrogated. Some are detained immediately. The political situation you fled may be the one you’re returned to – except now you’re on their radar.

The 2025 Deportation Reality – Yes, They Can Send You Back

OK so lets start with the thing everyone gets wrong. Alot of Russian immigrants beleive they cant be deported to Russia. “Theres no extradition treaty,” they say. “Relations are too bad.” “They wont take me back.”

Wrong. Completly wrong.

Since Trumps second term began in 2025, over 200,000 people have been deported from the United States. That includes Russian nationals. The government isnt waiting for better relations with Moscow. There finding ways to get it done now.

Heres how it works. Since theres no direct flights between the US and Russia, ICE routes deportees through Egypt. Your flown to Cairo with a group of other deportees – sometimes 30 to 60 people at a time. From Cairo, your put on a flight to Moscow. The Egyptian authorities coordinate with ICE. Some deportees have tried to escape at the Cairo airport, tried to claim asylum in Egypt, tried to get to a third country. They were captured and beaten by Egyptian security services.

And when you land in Russia? The FSB is waiting.

This isnt speculation. This is happening right now. Leonid Melekhin, a political activist from Perm, was deported back to Russia in early 2025. He had criminal charges filed against him in Russia while his US asylum case was pending. It didnt matter. He was deported anyway, and promptly arrested for “justifying terrorism.”

Yevgeny Mashinin was deported despite having a European Court of Human Rights ruling that confirmed he had been unlawfully persecuted. When he landed in Russia, he immedietly faced new administrative charges and was arrested. He eventualy managed to escape to Morocco – but most people dont get that lucky.

If your facing federal charges as a Russian national, deportation to Russia is not a theoretical risk. Its a real and present danger.

What Happens When You Land in Russia

Lets talk about what your actualy facing if you get deported. Because this isnt like getting sent back to Canada or Germany.

When Russian deportees arrive from the United States, there systematicaly questioned by the FSB. Every single one. The FSB wants to know what you were doing in America, who you were talking to, what information you might have. If you had any contact with US government agencies – even as a defendant in a criminal case – thats of intrest to them.

Some people are detained immediatly. Especialy if there political activists, journalists, or anyone whos spoken against the Russian government. But even if your not political, the FSB questioning is invasive and frightning.

And heres something most people dont realize. Criminal charges can be filed against you in Russia AFTER your deported. You might leave the United States with no Russian criminal record and arrive in Moscow to find out your wanted for something. The Russian government can use your departure from Russia, your activities in America, your connections – anything – as a basis for criminal prosecution.

Your also arriving in a country thats been at war since 2022. Military conscription is ongoing. If your a male of military age, you may face pressure or outright conscription. Some deportees have recieved draft notices almost immediatly after arriving.

This is the reality. This is what deportation to Russia actualy means in 2025.

Aggravated Felonies – The Immigration Death Sentence

Now lets talk about which crimes trigger this nightmare. Because under US immigration law, not all crimes are treated equally.

An “aggravated felony” is the most serious category. Despite the name, an aggravated felony dosent have to be violent, and it dosent have to be a felony under state law. Its a term of art in immigration law that covers specific crimes Congress has decided are particularly serious.

Heres a partial list of aggravated felonies:

• Murder, rape, sexual abuse of a minor
• Drug trafficking (any amount – even small quantities)
• Firearms trafficking
• Money laundering over $10,000
• Fraud or deceit offenses where the loss exceeds $10,000
• Tax evasion involving more than $10,000
• Theft offenses with a sentence of one year or more
• Crimes of violence with a sentence of one year or more

Look at that list. Notice how many of those sound like “business crimes”? Money laundering, fraud, tax evasion. If your a Russian businessman facing federal charges, theres a very good chance your looking at an aggravated felony.

And heres the kicker. If your convicted of an aggravated felony, you are:

• Deportable, period
• Barred from almost all forms of immigration relief
• Permanantly inadmissable to the United States (you can never come back)
• Subject to mandatory detention upon release from criminal custody
• Ineligible for cancellation of removal

Thats why I call it the immigration death sentence. One conviction, and your immigration future in America is basicly over.

Crimes Involving Moral Turpitude – The Five-Year Trap

Theres another category of crimes that can destroy your immigration status: crimes involving moral turpitude, or CIMTs. This is an older concept in immigration law, and its frustratingly vague.

A CIMT is generaly defined as a crime that is “inherently base, vile, or depraved.” In practice, this means crimes involving:

• Fraud or intent to deceive
• Theft
• Intent to harm persons or property
• Serious recklessness

Many federal crimes involve fraud. Wire fraud, bank fraud, mail fraud, healthcare fraud, PPP loan fraud – all of these are crimes involving moral turpitude.

Now heres the trap. If you commited a CIMT within five years of your admission to the United States, and the crime is punishable by a sentence of one year or more, your deportable. Thats true even if you didnt actualy serve a year – just the potential sentence is enough.

And if you’ve been convicted of two or more CIMTs at any time after admission, your deportable regardless of when they occured or how minor they were.

Think about what that means. Two relatively minor fraud offenses, maybe from the same business dealings, maybe from actions you didnt even realize were crimes – and your suddenly deportable. Even if your a green card holder. Even if you’ve been here for 25 years.

The Dual-Track Nightmare – Criminal and Immigration Proceedings Simultaneously

OK so heres something your criminal lawyer probly isnt telling you. If your a non-citizen facing federal charges, you’ve got two cases running at the same time. The criminal case and the immigration case. And what you do in one can destroy you in the other.

In the criminal case, your defense lawyer wants you to cooperate, maybe negotiate a plea deal, maybe testify against co-defendants. All of that involves making statements. Statements under oath. Statements to federal agents. Statements in court.

Every single one of those statements can be used against you in your immigration case.

Lets say you plead guilty to fraud to get a lighter sentence. Your criminal lawyer tells you its a good deal – 18 months instead of 5 years. You take it. You serve your time.

The day you walk out of federal prison, ICE is waiting. They have a detainer on you. Your transfered directly to immigration custody. And that guilty plea you entered? Its an admission of an aggravated felony. Your deportable, your ineligible for relief, and your going to be sent to Russia.

Or lets say you cooperate with prosecutors. You give information about your business partners. You testify at there trial. You help the government build cases against other people. That cooperation might help you in the criminal case.

But in the immigration case, everything you said is evidence. You admitted to knowing about the fraud. You admitted to participating. You provided the exact details that prove deportability.

The cooperation that helps your criminal case can be the confession that destroys your immigration case.

This is the dual-track nightmare. And if your lawyer dosent understand both tracks, your going to get crushed.

Why CAT Protection Isnt What You Think

Maybe your thinking, “OK but I cant be sent to Russia. Ill get protection under the Convention Against Torture. Russia is dangerous, they persecute people, the US cant send me there.”

I wish it were that simple.

The Convention Against Torture does provide some protection. Under CAT, the United States cant deport you to a country where your more likely than not to be tortured. But theres several problems with relying on this.

First, you have to prove a greater than 50% chance that YOU specifically will be tortured. Not that torture happens in Russia generaly. Not that people like you are at risk. You have to show that YOU will probly be tortured. Thats a very high bar.

Second, the Board of Immigration Appeals just made it harder. In July 2025, the BIA overturned a CAT grant to a Russian citizen who opposed the war in Ukraine. The BIA found there wasnt enough evidence that Russians who oppose the war are actualy tortured when they return. Prosecuted, yes. Jailed, maybe. But tortured? The BIA said the evidence was insufficant.

Third, even if you win CAT protection, you dont actualy get to stay in America normaly. CAT protection puts you in permanent legal limbo. You have an order of removal, but its frozen. You cant be deported to Russia, but you also dont have any immigration status. You cant work toward citizenship. You cant travel. Your stuck.

And heres the final irony. Russia withdrew from the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture in 2022. The Putin government has activly rejected international anti-torture commitments. The UN Special Rapporteur has documented that torture is used as a “state sanctioned tool for systemic oppression” in Russia. And yet the BIA is telling asylum seekers they havent proven torture is likely enough.

CAT is not the safety net you think it is. Dont bet your life on it.

Your Criminal Lawyer May Be Destroying Your Immigration Case

This is the uncomfortable truth that nobody wants to talk about. Most criminal defense lawyers dont understand immigration law. And there mistakes can be catastrophic.

In 2010, the Supreme Court decided Padilla v. Kentucky. The Court held that criminal defense attorneys MUST advise there clients about the immigration consequences of guilty pleas. Failing to do so is ineffective assistance of counsel.

That was 15 years ago. And alot of criminal lawyers still dont do it properly.

They might tell you generaly that “there could be immigration consequences.” Thats not enough. They might not realize that the specific plea your agreeing to triggers mandatory deportation. They might not know that a slightly different charge – one that seems identical from a criminal perspective – could avoid the immigration consequences entirely.

Ive seen cases were a client pleaded guilty to avoid jail time, thinking they were getting a good deal, and ended up deported. There criminal lawyer never explained that the plea was an aggravated felony. Never explained that deportation was mandatory. Never consulted with an immigration attorney.

If your criminal lawyer is telling you to plead guilty to a fraud offense, to a drug offense, to a money laundering charge – and they havent consulted with an immigration specialist about the exact immigration consequences of that specific plea – they are failing you.

And by the time you realize it, its often too late. The plea is on the record. The conviction is final. ICE has a detainer. Your on your way to Russia.

Three Mistakes That Guarantee Deportation

Let me tell you about three mistakes I see Russian immigrants make over and over when facing federal charges. Any one of these can be fatal to your case.

Mistake 1: Talking to agents without a lawyer

When the FBI or ICE shows up, you might think talking will help. “Ill explain,” you think. “Ill tell them it was a mistake. Ill cooperate.”

Every word becomes evidence. In both your criminal case AND your immigration case. You cannot talk your way out of federal charges. You can only talk yourself deeper in.

Mistake 2: Hiring only a criminal lawyer

Yes, you need a criminal defense attorney. But you also need an immigration attorney. These are two seperate specialties. Your criminal lawyer is focused on keeping you out of prison. Your immigration lawyer is focused on keeping you in America. Sometimes those goals conflict. A plea deal that minimizes prison time might guarantee deportation. You need both lawyers working together, communicating, coordinating strategy.

Mistake 3: Assuming green card means safety

A green card is lawful permanent residence. It sounds permanent. Its not. A CBP spokesperson recently stated: “A green card is a privilege, not a right, and under our nations laws, our government has the authority to revoke a green card if our laws are broken.”

If your convicted of an aggravated felony or certain crimes involving moral turpitude, your green card means nothing. You can have lived here for 30 years, raised children here, built businesses here – and be deported anyway.

Do not assume your status protects you. It dosent.

What To Do Right Now If Your Facing Federal Charges

If your a Russian immigrant facing federal criminal charges, heres what you need to do immediatly.

Step 1: Get BOTH a criminal defense attorney AND an immigration attorney.

Not one or the other. Both. And make sure they communicate with each other. Your criminal lawyer should not make any decisions about plea deals without consulting your immigration lawyer about the consequences.

Step 2: Dont make ANY statements to investigators.

Not to the FBI. Not to ICE. Not to anyone. Exercise your right to remain silent. Everything you say will be used against you in both proceedings.

Step 3: Understand your specific exposure.

Which crimes are you charged with? Are any of them aggravated felonies? CIMTs? What are the exact immigration consequences of conviction? What alternative charges might avoid those consequences?

Step 4: Explore all options before pleading guilty.

A plea deal might seem like a good outcome from a criminal perspective – less prison time, case resolved. But if that plea triggers mandatory deportation, it might be the worst possible choice. Sometimes fighting the case and losing is better than pleading guilty to a deportable offense.

Step 5: Dont wait.

Immigration consequences can kick in fast. ICE detainers can be filed while your criminal case is still pending. Mandatory detention can begin the moment you finish your criminal sentence. The earlier you understand your exposure and develop a coordinated defense strategy, the better your chances.

The Real Cost of Deportation to Russia

This isnt just about you. Think about what deportation to Russia actualy means for your family.

Your American children lose there father or mother. Your spouse – maybe a US citizen – has to choose between following you to Russia or staying in America without you. The business you built gets destroyed. The life you created disappears.

And you – you land in Russia, where the FSB is waiting, where political persecution is ongoing, where you might face criminal charges, conscription, or worse.

All because you didnt understand the immigration consequences of federal charges. All because your criminal lawyer didnt consult with an immigration specialist. All because you assumed America wouldnt actualy send you back.

They will send you back. They are sending people back right now. Through Egypt. To the FSB.

The question is wheather your going to be one of them.

If your facing federal charges as a Russian immigrant, get help now. Get the right lawyers. Understand your exposure. Fight for your right to stay.

Your life in America depends on it.