Roman Surovtsev, a Dallas-area father detained by ICE for 109 days, narrowly avoided deportation to Ukraine after a California court issued a stay and agreed to reopen his case. His lawyers had vacated his earlier conviction on ineffective-assistance grounds, which formed the basis for the motion to reopen. He will remain in detention while the new proceedings proceed, and some detainees on the same flight were deported and remain difficult for families to reach. The family welcomes the reprieve but says the legal fight is far from over.
Dallas Father Saved from Last-Minute Deportation After Court Orders Case Reopened
Roman Surovtsev, a Dallas-area father detained by ICE for 109 days, narrowly avoided deportation to Ukraine after a California court issued a stay and agreed to reopen his case. His lawyers had vacated his earlier conviction on ineffective-assistance grounds, which formed the basis for the motion to reopen. He will remain in detention while the new proceedings proceed, and some detainees on the same flight were deported and remain difficult for families to reach. The family welcomes the reprieve but says the legal fight is far from over.
06:15 PM, 11/19/2025Society
Summary: A California court issued an emergency stay that prevented Roman Surovtsev from boarding a deportation flight to Ukraine and agreed to reopen his case after his attorneys successfully vacated a prior conviction on ineffective-counsel grounds. He will remain in ICE custody while the new proceedings unfold.
Family braces for the worst — then gets a reprieve
On a hot Saturday evening in North Texas, Samantha Surovtsev sat at her kitchen table, eyes blurred with tears, as she ordered Eastern European power adapters and drove to buy heavy winter coats and wool socks. She packed them into a suitcase and took it to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Alvarado, where her husband, 41-year-old Roman Surovtsev, had been held for 109 days following an unexpected detention during a routine ICE check-in in August.
Born in the former Soviet Union in 1984, Roman came to the United States legally at age 4 with his mother and two siblings. At 19, he received a 13-year sentence after participating in an armed motorcycle carjacking in California; he was released early for good behavior in 2014 and spent additional time in ICE custody, which cost him his permanent resident status.
After prison, Roman turned his life around: he was baptized in prison, later met Samantha in 2017, and together they bought a home outside Dallas, launched a painting business and raised two daughters. For years he complied with supervised-release requirements, checking in regularly with ICE at a Dallas kiosk. His detention during a routine August check-in shocked the family and triggered an urgent legal response.
Legal maneuvering at the eleventh hour
Samantha and Roman’s lawyers filed a motion to reopen his criminal case on November 4 after successfully vacating the original carjacking conviction on the basis of ineffective assistance of counsel. That vacatur formed the central new evidence in the plea to reopen his earlier removal order.
On Sunday night, Roman used a detention-center tablet to call family and say what he feared might be his final goodbyes. Immigration officials did not disclose the specific timing or destination of the planned removal, citing security concerns, leaving the family in agonizing uncertainty.
Then, late Monday afternoon, Samantha received a call from the family’s immigration attorney: a California court had issued a stay of removal and agreed to hear the motion to reopen. The order cited that Roman’s convictions were vacated under California Penal Code 1473.7(a)(1) for constitutional defects in the original proceedings and that he had shown new, material evidence that could change the case’s outcome.
“We had accepted that Roman would be on that plane... And suddenly, it’s all reversed, because there’s still hope,” Samantha said.
The relief was immediate but partial: Roman will remain in detention while the reopened proceedings move forward. His legal team estimates it may take weeks to months for a judge to rule on the reopened case.
Broader context and remaining concerns
The case comes amid expanded immigration enforcement nationwide. Department of Homeland Security leadership publicly characterized Surovtsev as a dangerous offender in social media posts, citing past convictions and alleged offenses; his legal team and family emphasize the vacatur of his key conviction and his subsequent compliance with supervision requirements.
Not everyone on the same flight received the same reprieve. According to attorneys and family members, dozens of detainees boarded the aircraft bound for Ukraine, where some are now reported to be, at least temporarily, unreachable. Families said they have struggled to contact loved ones after deportation; in one case, a family is tracking a deportee’s phone moving inside Ukraine but has not been able to connect.
Attorneys representing Roman and other detainees stressed the stakes: many deportees are being returned to a country at war or to regions that are difficult for U.S. officials to verify. “What’s next is making sure that not a single other Ukrainian who’s in detention is sent back to that country,” said one of Roman’s attorneys, Eric Lee.
What happens next
Roman’s case will proceed in court after the motion to reopen. His lawyers say they will press for dismissal of the underlying criminal case and challenge the removal order. Meanwhile, his family is relying on community support, legal counsel and personal faith to navigate the uncertainty.
“If God is for us, who can be against us?” Samantha said, citing Romans 8:31. For now, the family is thankful for the temporary reprieve but remains deeply concerned for other deported detainees and cautious about the long road ahead.
Sources: interviews with family members and attorneys, court order and public statements by government officials.