Roman Surovtsev, a stateless immigrant from the former Soviet Union, was detained by ICE during a regular check-in in Dallas in early August 2024. His case underscores gaps in due process amid the Trump administration's deportation push. With legal help from his wife, he is challenging the detention in court.
Roman Surovtsev arrived in the U.S. as a refugee from the former Soviet Union at age four. As a teenager, he pleaded guilty to carjacking and burglary charges in California, leading to the revocation of his green card. After his release from prison in 2014, ICE attempted but failed to deport him to Ukraine or Russia, as neither country could confirm his citizenship or provide travel documents.
Since then, Surovtsev has complied with annual ICE check-ins. He met his wife, Samantha, in 2017 while jet skiing, and the couple married in 2019. They had children and started a commercial painting business in Texas, building a life despite his stateless status.
In early August 2024, a routine check-in at the Dallas ICE field office turned into detention. Samantha Surovtsev waited in the parking lot, fearing the outcome. 'There were tears involved, just not knowing what was on the other side of that appointment,' she told NPR. She received a call from a detainee, confirming his arrest.
This detention aligns with ICE's efforts to meet a one-million-person annual deportation target. Unlike many others, Surovtsev has legal representation. His lawyers argue the re-detention is unconstitutional, as no new circumstances allow deportation to Ukraine, which lacks documentation and risks drafting him into conflict. At the Bluebonnet Detention Center, he received Ukrainian-language deportation papers, despite not speaking the language.
The legal team has vacated his carjacking conviction, citing lack of immigration warnings at the time. 'He's going to get his green card back in a matter of time, which only makes it all the more callous and absurd,' said attorney Eric Lee of Lee and Godshall-Bennett.
Samantha emphasized the human side: 'People need to understand that there's a human element involved with immigration, that every story is unique. Every case deserves to be heard in front of a judge. This is not a black-and-white situation.'
Attorney Chris Godshall-Bennett noted similar habeas cases this summer, warning that undermining due process endangers protections for all. The detention has disrupted family life, with missed milestones and business losses. The Justice Department maintains the re-detention is legal, citing renewed requests for Ukrainian travel documents.