At the commission meeting on March 16, as reported by the publication "Kommersant," a draft amendment to the Code of Administrative Offenses developed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs was considered. The main innovation will be mandatory deportation for foreign citizens for 20 different administrative offenses.
According to the proposed changes, courts will not be able to limit themselves to imposing fines and will be required to deport foreign citizens for the following types of violations:
ignoring the requirements of the state of emergency;participation in activities of organizations recognized as undesirable in Russia;participation in unauthorized demonstrations or coercion to strike;petty hooliganism and disobedience to law enforcement officers;abuse of freedom of information, including the publication of instructions for making weapons or illegal advertising of alcohol.
In the explanatory note, the Ministry of Internal Affairs justifies the need for stricter measures by the "increase in unlawful activity" and frequent cases of mass brawls involving migrants. However, as experts note, including Vadim Kozhenov, director of the Migrant Assistance Center, law-abiding labor migrants rarely commit such offenses. He also added that foreigners involved in mass riots are already subject to lengthy deportation for periods of up to 30–40 years.
This initiative is part of a comprehensive reform of migration policy initiated after the incident at "Crocus City Hall" in the spring of 2024. Since then, Russia has tightened the rules for obtaining residence permits, introduced mandatory Russian language tests for foreign children upon enrollment in schools, and expanded the grounds for monitoring the stay of migrants in the country.
