Despair mounts for Russian relocants as US border policies shift under Trump 5000 stuck in refugee camp

More than 5,000 Russian relocants are currently stuck in a makeshift refugee camp on the US-Mexico border, following the reversal of immigration policies by US President Donald Trump.

After taking office, Trump repealed several executive orders from his predecessor, Joe Biden, that had simplified pathways for migrants seeking asylum or residency in the US, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

This policy shift has left Russian citizens and others who migrated to the US without citizenship in a precarious legal situation, facing potential deportation.

“There’s despair and hopelessness in the chats of Russian-speaking migrants. Donny [Trump] cancelled Biden's decrees and shut the loophole. The CBP One app, which allowed migrants to request protection in the US, no longer works, and border guard officers have indefinitely suspended interviews,” wrote the Telegram channel Mash.

Currently, approximately 26,000 individuals from various countries are awaiting decisions at the border, while a similar number are held in US detention centres awaiting deportation. Many of these individuals entered the country under Biden’s policies, which Trump’s administration now deems invalid, effectively classifying them as illegal migrants.

President Trump previously claimed that the US hosts 21 million undocumented migrants, labelling the majority as criminals. He blamed the current migration crisis on former President Biden, accusing him of weak immigration policies.

In a related development, a federal judge in Seattle recently blocked the Trump administration from enforcing an executive order limiting automatic birthright citizenship in the US, calling the policy “blatantly unconstitutional.”

As tensions rise, thousands of migrants remain in limbo, waiting for clarity on their status in the wake of this policy overhaul.

By Tamilla Hasanova