Russian Anti-War Activist Vladislav Krasnov Arrested in the US During Routine ICE Visit

A supporter of Alexei Navalny and FBK, Krasnov flew to Mexico on May 30, 2023, to request political asylum in the US. He needed protection after the head of his rural settlement, where Vladislav lived, reported him to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB. The activist spent two months in Mexico, waiting for an official invitation to the US, which at the time could be issued through the government app CBP.One.

Until August 3, 2023, many asylum seekers in the US used this procedure: after a few hours of processing at the border, they were released. But then the immigration service changed the rules, requiring asylum seekers to await the review of their cases in immigration jails. Krasnov crossed into the US on the scheduled day—August 8—and was immediately detained, spending a week in a holding cell on the Mexican border.

“The holding cell is a room about 20-25 square meters, with 25 people sleeping on yoga mats on the floor,“ he said. ”There are two toilet bowls in the room. No windows, no outdoor time, lights and air conditioning are always on. If you end up there in shorts and a t-shirt, you can catch a chill easily. Meals are minimal, three times a day. You never know what time it is. Officers just come in periodically to do a headcount. Several times we heard phrases like ‘fucking Russian’ and ‘dirty Russian’.“

After a week, Krasnov was taken out of the holding cell into a garage, handcuffed, shackled, chained at the waist, and transferred from California to Mississippi. The transport by bus and plane lasted from about four in the morning until eight in the evening, and the detainees stayed in handcuffs and chains the whole time.

“In detention in Mississippi, there were two types of cells: one block had many two-person rooms and a common area, the other was a barrack for 140 people. I was put in the barrack, and it was complete chaos,” Vladislav continues. “There I had my fear interview. They were supposed to let me go because I already had a court date in Los Angeles. But, for example, people from Latin America were released after their fear interviews, while we [Russian citizens] were sent to Louisiana.”

In September 2023, Vlad learned that his court hearing was also moved from California to Louisiana without any explanation. So he was left waiting for court in the local detention center.

Vladislav Krasnov was taken to his court hearing on March 1, 2024, the day of Alexei Navalny's funeral. The event was broadcast on American TV channels, and Vlad had letters of support from FBK, human rights activist Lev Ponomaryov, the TV channel Dozhd, articles about his detentions at protests in Moscow, court decisions on fines, etc. “So I more than explained my political stance and why I am afraid to return to Russia. I hoped that Navalny’s funeral, which was all over the news, would clarify the political situation in Russia,“ the activist says. ”But my judge had a 98.4% denial rate, and she stuck to her statistics.“.

Perhaps what worked against Krasnov was the fact that his lawyer made a mistake in the asylum application form: she stated that he had been arrested in Russia, even though he had only been detained for administrative offenses:“There was a question, ‘Have you ever been arrested for any crimes?’ Of course, I answered no. But since the lawyer wrote that I had been arrested, this came up in court. And the judge didn’t believe me. In reality, judges with such high denial rates just don’t consider the cases. They invent reasons to deny, and that’s it.“

Vlad received his next denial in immigration court on appeal on June 26, 2024, his birthday. “First birthday in jail, plus a denial — a perfect combo,” he joked. And on August 2, 2024, they planned to deport him to Russia. An ICE officer tried to force Vlad to sign a deportation consent form with threats, but he refused. Then Krasnov was transferred to New Jersey. There, he spent two days in detention, unable to legally notify friends and relatives about what happened: ICE officers confiscated all his money, to be returned only at the end of deportation. “I managed to call friends and family only because I speak a little English and my cellmates were generous,” he said.

On August 5 at 4 a.m., he was taken to New York’s JFK airport. When the ICE van arrived, Vlad refused to get out and said he would not fly anywhere because it was dangerous for him to return to Russia, and he had a new appeal pending in America. ICE officers took turns playing “bad cop” and “good cop,” but Krasnov stood his ground.He was then returned to the local detention center for a few days and then transported back to Louisiana.

Shortly before these events, Krasnov joined a class action lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security. As part of a pretrial agreement, he was released on October 24, 2024. Since then, he had been hiding with friends in San Francisco, trying not to be seen by ICE officers. “They took my Russian passport, military ID, foreign passport, and driver’s license. For over a year, I’ve been living without any documents,” he said last fall.

And now — a new arrest and a new threat of deportation. Krasnov was detained on February 12 in Los Angeles during a routine ICE check-in, where he went with his new lawyer (the previous one lost her license due to mistakes made in Krasnov’s case). The Russian consulate has already been notified by ICE officers about Vladislav’s deportation. In Russia, political repression awaits him by default: the authorities consider FBK an extremist organization, and its founder Alexei Navalny remains on the terrorist and extremist registry even two years after his death in prison.

Vlad Krasnov’s story was one of those that prompted “Most.Media” to openly oppose the deportation of Russian activists from the US back to Russia. Our petition in their defense has gathered over 30,000 signatures. You can sign it here. If you are in the US, please send the signed petition to your representative in Congress.