These Russians are fleeing to the U.S. — by walking from Mexico

A man wipes away tears of joy as he takes his first step into the unknown, an émigré from the land of Dostoyevsky enters the country of cactus cowboys.

They are part of a surprising new phenomenon: Russians are increasingly fleeing their homeland through Mexico and making their way to the United States.

Rushan Burkhanov trembled as he walked on American soil after daylight, in the purple-pink palette that dissolved in the dawn of the endless desert.

CBC News saw about a dozen Russians one morning while visiting the area where Arizona, California and Mexico meet.

Several families crossed a dry creek bed and waited, outside Yuma, Ariz., for U.S. border agents to collect them, so they could file an asylum claim.

Some talk about their travels – about why they left Russia, why they went through Mexico, and what they plan to do.

Burkhanov used to repair and sell used cars in the historic port city along the Volga River and said he was surprised by what he learned about the war in Ukraine.

The television news at home made it seem as if President Vladimir Putin’s intention to attack was to protect people, to save lives.

“In reality, this is an attack on a neighboring country,” he said.

“They killed people, raped people, and Ukraine was never our enemy.”

He said he was disturbed, so he, who is a Muslim, started speaking at mosques and attending protests.

But there were consequences: “I was held in custody, beaten,” he said.

Fearing further punishment and plans, he, his wife and daughter made a three-week trip – first to Kazakhstan, then flights to Dubai, Mexico City and the border town of Mexicali, and walked quickly. road, across the border.

Another man waiting at the border said he started complaining about the new school curriculum in Russia and that’s when the problems started.

The man said it bothered him that his children were being fed government propaganda in class.

This earned him a police visit to his home, he said.

He answered CBC News’ questions through a translation app on his smartphone because he doesn’t speak English, but he said two words that didn’t require translation.

He pointed to his temple and said: “Putin, maniac.”

Other youths, like the father mentioned above, asked that their names not be published for fear of relatives back home.

This man did not cite the war as his main reason for emigration, although he was opposed to the conflict.

Nor did he complain about the Russian economy. In his opinion, the economy is improving, and he is making a decent living as a taxi driver.

The American dream, he says, is back.

He studied English at school and made a list of his favorite Hollywood movies. He said he wanted to be a truck driver – and not just a truck driver, but the biggest American truck, in the biggest city, with the tallest building, New York.

“In Russia, it’s a small truck. In the US, it’s a big truck. It’s my childhood dream,” said a man from the North Caucasus region.

He mentions movies and cartoons like Tom and Jerry and Ace Ventura. His favorite actor, he said, was Jim Carrey, not realizing he was born in Canada until a reporter pointed it out mid-interview.

A staggering statistic

When it comes to Russia crossing the southern US land border, the latest statistics are staggering.

There could be more than 60,000 Russian nationals encountered by US border agents this year if the pace from last month continues – the level of three years ago and more than 60 times the pre-pandemic rate.

The Russians spoke to CBC News explain why he came to this particular place. This is a dusty place, next to the old border wall, on US territory. Nearby are the irrigated fields that produce many of the vegetables that North Americans eat in the winter, tiny patches of green in the desert’s brown expanse.

Russians consult online chat sites and learn that you can apply for asylum in the US with one condition – you must be able to walk on US soil.

Asylum seekers in recent years have been turned away at regular border checkpoints before crossing international borders.

So now they are looking for an irregular road, like this one, where criminal gangs spread, often robbing, raping and kidnapping in the middle of the journey.

A couple of migrants from other countries alleged, in an interview with CBC News, that they were abused by Mexican police officers, such as theft and sexual assault.

But these Russians, today, are better.

They described the travel hassle-free; some have also used Dubai as a transit point for Mexico City.

California, New York, Canada?

Next, he will live in different parts of the US – California, Chicago and New York City are the three destinations he mentioned.

Some described Canada as a possibility that would not be possible in the U.S. But Burkhanov said he would rather, for once in his life, live somewhere warm.

Jim Carrey fans echoed that sentiment.

When he considered Canada, because, he said, the economy was strong, he grew up in a cold mountain climate and wanted something different.

“I like the heat,” he said.

Asylum cases can take years.

Asylum is granted to people persecuted because of race, religion and political opinion.

It is impossible that the reference to Ace Ventura and large trucks will be the basis for successful cases, but Russian applicants have a higher than average success rate.

In an asylum claim decided last year, more than half Russia won the case, better than applicants from most other countries, according to the US Department of Justice.

But a record-smashing backlog of cases also means it takes almost five years to judge an average application, according to Syracuse University research center.

What is the mood in Russia?

Asked about the mood in his homeland, Russia struggled to settle. That includes the amount of support for the war.

A father who complains about his children’s school curriculum blurts out a gut reaction: “Ninety-nine percent [support it]. Because 99 percent of them are crazy.”

But he admits that it is more complicated, when asked whether the support he considers solid, maybe, a mirage, driven by coercion.

“When you’re quiet, you stay safe,” he said.

Burkhanov’s own analysis is that while opposition to the war was growing in Russia, it was banished from the public sphere.

Truck wanted to share that assessment, but said it was difficult to gauge public opinion.

“I don’t know, really,” he said. “There are a lot of people in Russia [do] does not support war. But nobody said anything.”

For what it’s worth, a more independent poll in Russia reported late last year that roughly half of Russians support the Ukraine war.

Meanwhile, thousands of Russians arrive every month.

One volunteer who brought food and water to a makeshift migrant camp outside Yuma said he witnessed it with his own eyes.

“Every day, mostly now,” said Fernando Quiroz, who volunteers with the Arizona California Humane Coalition.

“Russia, and Georgia, are coming to this location.”

In an ideal world, he said, these asylum seekers should be allowed to apply at regular checkpoints.

But he blames the broken U.S. immigration system for forcing people to make their way down illegal routes like this one.

This path, at least, is on flat land. It’s better than the killer mountain over to the east, long known for inflicting tragedy on lost travelers.

Crossing near Yuma is “easy,” he said.

“I’m glad he crossed here. … He didn’t cross dangerous terrain.”

It took several hours for US border agents to come around Russia. He was loaded into a vehicle and taken to a detention center, where he was processed, then released.

The first morning in America is over. It is unclear how many more will be here, as they move from the desert, to locations east, west and north – final destination: confirmed.