Albert Khamitov fled Russia’s harsh anti-LGBTQ+ laws last year after being brutally attacked in Moscow. He was delighted that an immigration judge granted him asylum in August.

He entered the U.S. from Mexico in May using the CBP One application, a new mobile app that immigrants are required to use to make appointments with U.S. Customs and Border Protection if they want to file asylum forms with U.S. officials.

After Khamitov crossed the border in May, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers sent him to the Imperial Regional Detention Facility near Calexico in Imperial County on the Mexican border.

But before Khamitov could share the good news about his status with his family and friends, Department of Homeland Security officials appealed his case. Instead of being released, he was sent to another detention facility in Nevada, where Khamitov is now being kept with others seeking asylum.

“It’s torture to be here. I can’t