Russian official suggests mechanism to deport migrant parents with minors

Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova has proposed developing a mechanism to ensure that foreign nationals who are the sole parents of minors are deported from Russia together with their children.

The initiative aims to prevent situations where minors are left without guardianship, according to the official report on the ombudswoman’s activities, Caliber.Az reports per Russian media.

In her official report, Lvova-Belova noted that the State Duma should consider establishing procedures for the joint deportation of a foreign citizen who is the only parent of a minor child, along with the child.

The document states that there are cases where children of migrants deported under court rulings remain in Russia without parental care, as current regulations do not cover their deportation.

As a result, these children end up in social institutions until their home countries take them back — a process that can take a long time.

The report adds that the administrative deportation of individuals who are the sole parents of minors, carried out in the form of voluntary supervised departure, could better align with the principle of serving the child’s best interests while also addressing the state’s objectives in combating illegal migration and other violations of migration law.

By Jeyhun Aghazada