More than 8,600 Russians have sought refuge in the U.S. on the Mexican border in recent months, overwhelmingly using official crossings in San Diego
A Customs and Border Protection officer stands at the entrance to the San Ysidro Port of Entry Wednesday, March 2, 2022, seen from Tijuana, Mexico. More than 8,600 Russians have sought refuge in the U.S. on the Mexican border in recent months. To claim asylum in the U.S., they reach a tiny piece of U.S. soil before inspection booths. They must outsmart U.S. officers who try to block their path. SAN DIEGO — — Maksim Derzhko calls it one of the most terrifying experiences of his life.
Even before Russia's invasion of Ukraine led to punishing sanctions from the U.S. and its allies, the United States was already seeing an increase in Russian asylum-seekers. More thansought refuge on the U.S. border with Mexico from August through January — 35 times the 249 who did so during the same period a year earlier. Nine in 10 used official border crossings in San Diego.
“It was a very scary moment for all of us to experience,” Derzhko, who crossed in August, said in an interview at his home in Los Angeles. “The children with us, everyone was very worried, very much.” Russians and others from former Soviet republics favor driving through official crossings, rather than trying to cross illegally in deserts and mountains. They generally do not hire smugglers, but “a facilitator” may help arrange travel, said Chad Plantz, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego.
“They’re probably a little disoriented themselves, not sure exactly what they’re doing, but they are failing to yield, hitting the gas, blowing through," Plantz said.
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