Arrested at the moment of hope - and released again: The case of Viktoriia Bulavina and the question of what this country has become

Viktoriia Bulavina had done everything this state demands from people who seek protection legally. She had fled Putin’s war, entered under a humanitarian program created precisely for cases like hers. She lived with her husband Victor Korol, a US citizen, submitted documents, appeared for every appointment and now stood in the decisive stage of her green card process. For many, this day is the moment when uncertainty finally eases. For her, it became the beginning of an event that left even experienced attorneys stunned. In the middle of the final interview she was arrested without comment, without warning and without any apparent reason. They took her away, bringing her to a facility beneath San Diego, one of those underground sites known for minimal transparency and maximum harshness. Her husband remained behind - witness to an arrest that contradicted every file and every status previously confirmed by the authorities.

The incident was not only unnecessary but completely disproportionate. Viktoriia had entered legally, she had not missed any deadlines, broken any rules or violated any requirements. She was not a risk, not a possible flight danger, not someone living in hiding. The state knew who she was and why she was here. Still, she was treated like someone evading the law, even though she had followed that law exactly.

After 33 hours, intense effort and documentation, ICE finally released her. Again without explanation. Again without justification. Viktoriia Bulavina left the underground detention just as unexpectedly as she had been forced into it. Her process continues, but the damage has already been done: trust that had been built over months was destroyed within hours. For her and her husband the question remains how safe one can be in a system that arrests people even though there is no factual basis for doing so.

The fact that she is now free does not lessen the incident. It shows rather how arbitrary the operation was. There is no new set of facts, no legal step that would have justified the arrest and now no longer applies. There is only an agency making decisions that are neither comprehensible nor verifiable. A state that first arrests people and then releases them without comment does not demonstrate strength but disorientation. The Bulavina case is part of a development we have documented for months: legal immigrants, refugees, spouses of US citizens, children - all can be taken in situations where they should be able to expect safety. Agencies are using appointments that people voluntarily attend as points of access. A state that acts this way does not only damage individuals but its own credibility.

Victor Korol, his daughter and Viktoriia Bulavina, December 5, 2025 in the backyard of their home in San Diego. Only one day earlier, Viktoriia Bulavina had been arrested at the end of her green card interview at the immigration offices downtown.

For Viktoriia Bulavina this chapter does not end in deportation but in freedom. Yet this freedom carries an aftertaste that remains: she was arrested because a system no longer recognizes its own rules. And she was released because this system apparently cannot explain why she was there at all. The United States promise protection to those who escape war and violence. But a promise broken at the threshold of the green card loses its value.

When the state unsettles people like Viktoriia Bulavina, it affects not only her. It affects every family that believes it can rely on law and procedure in this country. That is why her case is a warning signal - and it should not be ignored.

To be continued .....