Biden administration let Russian group enter U.S. after deal with Mexico

According to the United Nations, more than 3 million Ukrainians have fled their war-torn country since Russian President Vladimir Putin first launched his “special military operation” more than a month ago on Feb. 24.

While most Ukrainians have found refuge in neighboring countries such as Poland or Romania, hundreds of Ukrainians have also made their way to the United States through its southern border with Mexico.

Although the U.S.-Mexico border has been closed (at least nominally) to asylum seekers since the start of the pandemic, the Biden administration has moved to allow Ukrainians to enter the country, citing special circumstances.

But Ukrainians aren’t the only ones fleeing Putin’s bloody war.

A new Vice report shows that nearly three-dozen Russian nationals who fled their homes after the start of the war have allegedly been granted secret access to the United States after a deal was struck between Mexico City and Washington.

According to the report, at least 35 Russians were delivered to the border in the dead of night earlier this month and handed over to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in a clear circumvention of Title 42 – an outgoing law that blocks asylum seekers from entering the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

After arriving in the U.S., the asylum seekers were held in a detention center for several days before being released into the United States to await their immigration hearings.

Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, more than 8,600 Russians have attempted to cross the border into the United States from Mexico.

A new report from the Associated Press shows that many Russians are currently flying from Moscow to Cancun where they enter as tourists before pooling funds to buy cars and drive north towards to the border, ABC News reported.

Maksim Derzhko – a longtime Putin opponent – said reaching the border was one of the most terrifying experiences of his life. After flying from Vladivostok to Tijuana with his 14-year-old daughter, the Russian national and his child jumped in a car with 5 other compatriots and drove to a check-point to request entry from a skeptical border official.

The emotions are "hard to put into words," he says. "It's fear. The unknown. It's really hard. We had no choice."

Like many Russians, Derzhko – a vocal Navalny supporters – says he still dreams that he might return to Russia one day, but says the United States represents freedom to him.

"America has always been an example for me," he said.