Father Detained by ICE Faces Deportation to War‑Torn Ukraine, Leaving Two Young Daughters Behind

U.S. refugee father detained by ICE is scheduled for removal to Ukraine amid family and legal fight

Roman Surovtsev, who arrived in the United States as a 4‑year‑old refugee from the Soviet Union, has been separated from his two young daughters since his unexpected detention at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) check‑in on August 1. The Department of Justice has confirmed a removal date for Monday; Surovtsev’s lawyers say the flight will carry 83 people and warn that many could be conscripted or face danger if returned to an active war zone.

Surovtsev, a devoted father to a 3‑ and 5‑year‑old, was known for picking the children up from school, reading to them at bedtime and running a family painting business with his wife, Samantha. For 107 days his daughters have asked where their father has gone. Samantha says she has told them he is "at work" while she struggles to pay mounting legal fees and care for the family alone.

Born in 1984 in Zhdanov — now Mariupol, Ukraine — Surovtsev fled the collapsing Soviet Union with his mother and siblings after his father died from radiation‑related illness following Chernobyl. The family entered the United States lawfully, renounced their USSR citizenship and settled in California, where they faced persistent poverty. As a young adult, Surovtsev served time for a 2003 carjacking; he was released early for good behavior in 2014.

After his release, an immigration judge ordered his removal and his green card was revoked. ICE later released him under an order of supervision and granted employment authorization, in part because travel documents and diplomatic confirmation of his citizenship were not available from Russia or Ukraine. For years he has reported to ICE as required and lived with an employment permit; his attorneys say he complied with every term of supervision.

In recent weeks, Surovtsev’s legal team secured post‑conviction relief that vacated the original carjacking conviction and arranged for him to plead to a lesser offense without immigration consequences. They filed a motion to reopen his immigration case on November 4 and say that, if a judge grants relief, his lawful permanent resident status could be restored.

However, the immigration court backlog means hearings can take months — Rozdzielski, Surovtsev’s immigration lawyer, estimates a two‑ to three‑month timeline. According to counsel, the government’s deportation flight is scheduled to depart before the court can consider the new filing.

“I'm afraid that my life will be taken in this war, and my girls are going to have to grow up without their dad,” Surovtsev said in a video of a call recorded by his wife, expressing fear of conscription and death if returned to Ukraine.

Surovtsev has been detained at Bluebonnet and Prairieland detention facilities in Texas. His wife reports that his faith remains strong: he leads nightly Bible studies for fellow detainees and had been training to work with a prison ministry. His attorneys, Eric Lee and Chris Godshall‑Bennett, emphasize that many people on the same flight have long ties to the U.S., including U.S. citizen spouses and children; some detainees may not speak Ukrainian or be recognized as Ukrainian citizens.

Diplomatic efforts previously complicated removal: in 2015, U.S. officials reported that the Russian consulate had no records for Surovtsev and Ukraine declined to confirm his citizenship or issue travel documents, which is why ICE had released him under supervision at that time. It remains unclear what, if any, new documentation or arrangements have enabled the scheduled removals now. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment.

Samantha and the family continue to pursue every legal avenue to delay or block the deportation, asking only that the court have the time to consider the newly filed motion. "Our family, our community and our country is not better off with him gone," Samantha said. "We just want time for our case to be heard."

Key facts:

• Detained at ICE check‑in on Aug. 1 and has been separated from his children for 107 days.
• Department of Justice confirmed removal to Ukraine is scheduled for Monday; attorneys say the flight will carry 83 people.
• Past conviction from 2003 was vacated; attorneys filed to reopen his immigration case on Nov. 4, but court backlog may delay a hearing for months.
• Surovtsev’s birthplace, Mariupol, has suffered severe damage during the war; his lawyers and family fear for his safety if returned.