Letter to Honourable Lena Metlege Diab concerning Russian dissidents facing risk of deportation to Russia from the United States

The Russian Canadian Democratic Alliance (RCDA) is hereby following up on Yulia Navalnaya, Vladimir Kara-Murza, and Ilya Yashin’s September 3, 2025, letter to Prime Minister Carney, with an urgent appeal to find a humanitarian solution for Russian dissidents in the United States facing imminent deportation to Russia. Two mass deportation flights have already taken place as of this summer and a third is expected in the coming weeks. In addressing this critical matter, we are coordinating with Russian America for Democracy in Russia, a U.S.-based non-profit assisting Russian antiwar refugees in detention for the past year. 

The RCDA is a federal non-governmental organization founded on the principles of democracy, anti-imperialism, and human rights. We represent Russian Canadians who believe Russia must become a democratic nation that respects fundamental freedoms. That vision can only be sustained if Russian dissidents are granted safe haven in liberal democracies like Canada, where their lives and voices can be protected and their work for a democratic future can continue. 

Many Russian dissidents, including those engaged in political activism against Putin’s regime or those deserting from forced conscription, attempted to seek such a safe haven in the United States. Tragically, many of them are now being detained in harsh conditions and facing a process that will almost certainly lead to their deportation in Russia. The RCDA is particularly alarmed by reports that since this summer, the Trump administration has commenced mass deportation flights of Russian dissidents, many of whom upon return face certain persecution, torture, and being sent to the frontlines as cannon fodder. 

The RCDA was disappointed by your office’s latest response, as reported in the Globe and Mail’s September 7, 2025 article, which appeared to dismiss the requests of prominent pro-democracy figures such as Yulia Navalnaya, Vladimir Kara-Murza and Ilya Yashin. The article suggests that the Safe Third Country Agreement would be a barrier, but as you are aware, that Agreement was never intended to be a mechanism that would condemn vulnerable individuals to persecution. Importantly, the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) gives you powers to grant refuge to those Russian dissidents, including section 25.2, which gives you discretion to exempt foreign nationals who are inadmissible from any of the requirements of that Act when you are “of the opinion that it is justified by public policy considerations”. 

There are strong public policy considerations in offering refuge to Russian dissidents facing deportation and persecution. In doing so, Canada would be aligning its actions with its values and providing vital support to those who are fighting for a better future. Further, these exiled Russians can make significant contributions to Canadian society. Many hold postsecondary degrees and possess valuable skills and expertise. Their presence here would serve as a powerful testament to Canada’s commitment to the principles of democracy, liberalism, and human rights. Such a decision would not be unprecedented. Canada once offered a ‘self-exiled class’ that enabled political dissidents from Eastern Europe to escape repressive regimes and build vibrant immigrant communities that continue to uphold Canadian values to this day.

Russian dissidents now seeking refuge have already demonstrated their commitment to those same values by standing up to Putin’s repressive regime— whose use of information manipulation and propaganda was deemed an existential threat to Canada’s democracy by Commissioner Hogue in the Foreign Interference Commission’s Final Report.

As such, offering protection to these dissidents would reaffirm Canada’s leadership in defending democracy, liberalism, and human rights, while providing vital support to those fighting for a freer and more just future for their homeland. It would also enrich Canadian society and harness our diversity as a strategic tool to better respond to today’s geopolitical challenges. 

Moreover, denying refuge to those dissidents would contribute to refoulement, contrary to Article 33 of the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and Article 3 of the Convention against Torture. Indeed, there is currently a dramatic increase in torture and assassination cases against dissidents in Russia (for instance, regarding torture – [1],[2],[3]) to the point where Russia is actively withdrawing from European torture-prevention mechanisms. 

Importantly, your commitment to assessing every case on its merits, while appreciated, is unfortunately not a practical solution to the current situation. Canadian law requires asylum seekers to be physically present at a port of entry to make a claim. This requirement, however, is impossible for Russian dissidents currently detained in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities. They are effectively trapped, unable to access the Canadian asylum process, with their only available pathway being deportation back to Russia.

The RCDA is committed to working with your office and is relatively agnostic as to the specific mechanism employed, as long as it enables these dissidents to relocate to Canada before it is too late. As a matter of urgency, the RCDA requests that you: 

1. Offer a temporary safe haven: Provide Russian asylum seekers currently in the U.S. with the option to be temporarily and urgently transferred to Canada for their safety. 
2. Institute an asylum mechanism: Formally institute a mechanism to offer asylum in Canada to Russian dissidents facing deportation from the U.S.
3. Coordinate with U.S. authorities: Engage directly with U.S. authorities to facilitate the transfer of these individuals to safety in Canada, rather than allowing their deportation back to Russia.
4. Establish a working group: Create a dedicated working group at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, to serve as a resource for threatened Russians seeking help.
5. Review and revoke the U.S. designation as a safe third country for Russian dissidents under section 102 of the IRPA and section 159.3 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations. 

Similar requests were formulated to Prime Minister Carney in the September 3, 2025 open letter from Yulia Navalnaya, Vladimir Kara-Murza, and Ilya Yashin. Their plea underscores the gravity of the situation and the broad consensus among the Russian pro-democracy community that Canadian intervention is needed immediately.

Thank you for your consideration of this critical matter. We are at your disposal for any further information or engagement you may require.