Dallas Father Spared Deportation at the Last Minute as Judge Reopens His Case

A Dallas father facing imminent deportation was granted an unexpected last-minute stay this week, allowing him to remain in the United States while a court reexamines his case. Forty-one-year-old Roman Surovtsev was detained for 109 days after being taken into ICE custody during a routine check-in in August. His family believed he would be removed to Ukraine, a country he has not lived in since it was part of the Soviet Union.

His wife, Samantha Surovtsev, spent the weekend preparing winter clothing and travel necessities for what she feared would be his final departure. Immigration officials would not provide specific information about when or where he would be transported, leaving his family waiting anxiously for confirmation.

Surovtsev, who legally fled the Soviet Union with his family at age 4, served time for an armed carjacking committed when he was 19. He was released early for good behavior in 2014 but lost his permanent residency and was placed into ICE custody. Years later, government officials were unable to verify his citizenship due to complications involving his birthplace and conflict in the region, and he was released under a supervision order.

In early August, Surovtsev was unexpectedly detained again amid an intensified national deportation effort. His wife assembled a legal team, which ultimately succeeded in vacating the decades-old carjacking conviction on grounds of ineffective counsel. That ruling opened the door for a motion to reopen his immigration case.

On Monday afternoon, just before he was expected to be placed on a flight bound for Ukraine, a California court granted a stay of removal. The ruling prevents his deportation and allows his case to be fully reconsidered. His attorneys say the decision was based on new evidence and constitutional defects identified in the original criminal proceedings.

While the flight to Ukraine still departed with other detainees on board, Surovtsev was not among them. His family celebrated the news with relief, though he will remain in detention while the legal process continues. Meanwhile, other families with loved ones on the same flight have been unable to reach them, prompting concerns for their safety.

Surovtsev’s legal team acknowledges the road ahead remains uncertain but says the stay provides vital time to argue the merits of his case. For Samantha and the couple’s young daughters, the decision offers something they thought they had lost: hope that he may one day come home.

Credit: CNN Newsource

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