The experts see a contradiction between the preservation of a visa-free regime with CIS countries and a sharp increase in the number of expulsions of immigrants.
Over the last two years the number of migrants deported from Russia increased almost four times. These data are presented in the report “Administrative expulsion from Russia: trial or mass expulsion?”, prepared by the Committee “Civil assistance”.
If in 2012 of the Russian Federation sent 45,2 thousand foreign citizens, whereas in 2014 this number increased 4.3 times, surpassing the mark of 198 thousand people. In 2015, this figure decreased slightly (about 178 thousand people), but in General we can say that the scale of expulsions remains at the same very high level, the report said.
The now abolished Federal migration service was zealous for the last three years not only on the part of the expulsions, but also as part of the registration long-term (10 years) prohibitions to foreign citizens to enter Russia, which affected both those who were in its territory, and those who at this point was beyond.
According to the responsible Secretary of the Public Advisory Council under the FMS of Russia in Moscow, Director of projects development Fund of the international relations of “Neighbourliness” Yury of Moscow, who in turn referred to the data announced by the former head of the Federal migration service Konstantin Romodanovsky, the number of those who was denied entry to Russia over the past two and a half years to more than 1.6 million people.
The Chairman of the “Civil assistance” Svetlana Gannushkina told the observer of “Rosbalt”, that although formally the decision on expulsion is taken by the courts, very often the people go “dumped whole bunches”. Judges already have “Champions” of this national campaign, which for the working day endured for 60-90 positive decisions in cases on deportation of migrants. Thus it often happened that the consideration of each of them took only a few minutes.
According to the amendments to the Russian legislation, adopted in August 2013, to expel the foreigner for any two administrative violations. For example, if he double-crossed the street in the wrong place. In practice, however, even this provision of law is not maintained. People being deported, for example, the absence at this particular moment (i.e., when they were stopped by police) of the document giving the right to work and stay in Russia.
As told to Svetlana Gannushkina, there have been cases when the relatives brought the necessary documents to the court, but it did not affect the decision on expulsion of a person from the country for alleged lack of permits.
“As it turns out – the right defender asks,” if I left home without a passport, I’m not a citizen of Russia?” According to her, there are cases when judges render a decision to deport a person does to another name, for example, in the name of women, despite the fact that expelled a man.
All this happens against the background of reducing the number of able-bodied citizens of Russia – every year it decreases by 1 million people. In connection with the fall of the ruble migrants preoriented to other countries: Saudi Arabia, South Korea, USA.
In this regard, the question inevitably arises, why is such a policy in relation to migrants and what caused it: the traditional xenophobia of representatives of all branches of the Russian government, her desire to please anti-migrant sentiments in Russian society, the desire to clear the labour market for Russians, or an attempt to distract them from the socio-economic problems?
According to Yury of Moscow, here it is necessary to take into account a combination of different factors, including the above version. However, he believes that those who lobbied for the adoption of amendments to toughen the migratory legislation, have not considered how they will be implemented in practice, they are not expected that expulsion will be wearing so massive. In his opinion, it was necessary, at least, to qualify the specific offense for which it is possible to expel the foreigner.
“There are different types of offenses, but now it turned out that the punishment absolutely does not correspond to the offense,” says Moscow. According to him, “all lawyers agree that there can be a punishment for illegal Parking, and often not even the fault of the driver, the ban on entry into the country for three years.”
The head of the Forum of migrants ‘ organizations Lidia Grafova, in turn, noted that the situation of mass expulsions of foreigners in the last two and a half years demonstrates the duality of migration policy of the Russian Federation. “On the one hand, we have visa-free entry into the country, and on the other, we very much want to shut out the migrants,” she says.
Another cause of such migration policy, according to Graph, is the mentality of the authorities. “Their every action is implicated in the suspicion, in every visitor. they see a terrorist, although it is just the opposite. Any terrorist can bribe to issue itself any documents,” she says.
According to the estimates of Svetlana Gannushkina, 2012 accepted for about 40 amendments in immigration laws, “most of which are repressive in nature.”
She recalled that the start of this campaign asked election article Vladimir Putin elected for another presidential term in 2012, which explicitly speaks about the need to tighten this legislation. While the cause of such actions of the authorities Gannushkina considers xenophobia, and the desire “to channel the protest sentiments”.
