100s of Russian refugees are stuck in limbo in Guam, hoping for U.S. asylum

Colin Stewart is a 45-year journalism veteran living in Southern…

Russian refugees Sergey and Ivan in Guam (Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Blade)

Egor, Marina, Julia, Ivan and Sergey are LGBTQ asylum-seekers who fled from Russia to Guam years ago to seek refuge in the United States. Now they are among more than 300 refugees from Russia who are stuck in limbo in that U.S. territory in the western Pacific Ocean.

If they could reach Hawaii or the mainland U.S., they could apply for asylum on the basis of a “credible fear” of returning to Russia. But they have been unable to clear American border controls in Guam.

Michael Lavers, international editor of The Blade in Los Angeles and Washington, tells their story in his article “Russian LGBTQ asylum seekers stranded in Guam”.