Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation proposes that migrants who have committed crimes and were deported back to their country should not return to Russia.

Medvedev stated this in an interview with Russian media outlets, including TASS on February 22. 

He emphasized that Russian administrative and criminal law must be applied to the fullest, TASS reports.   

“Those, who were told "goodbye" at some point, shouldn't come back anymore,” Medvedev said.  

According to him, aw-abiding citizens can come to Russia and work, explaining that “very often we cannot live without migrant workers.”

“Those, who are law-abiding participants of economic relations, can actually come and work.  You and I understand that we often cannot survive without this source of labor resources, and this is probably the most important thing - to put everything under control,” Medvedev said, according to RIA Novosti.  

To do this, he proposed creating a universal database of biometric information.

It is to be noted that it is not the first time that Medvedev raises this issue.

Speaking at a meeting of the Russian Security Council’s commission on migration policy, Medvedev noted on September 25 last year that the presence of hundreds of thousands of migrants in Russian regions gives rise to several significant problems, including crime.  Russian media reports said he warned that the situation in the country must not be destabilized by conflicts between migrants and the local population.

“Hundreds of thousands of migrants being in Russian regions causes a number of significant problems,” Medvedev said, pointing out that these problems include crime among foreigners and conflicts with the local population.

“As everyone understands, such situations are a hot-button issue and destabilize the socio-political situation,” Medvedev pointed out.  “This cannot be allowed," the Russian Security Council deputy chairman emphasized. 

Recall, an amendment to the Russian citizenship law that came into force on October 26, 2023 allows Russian authorities to revoke Russian citizenship from naturalized citizens who are convicted of discrediting the Russian military and of committing “certain crimes encroaching on public and personal safety” regardless of when the crime was committed, the date of sentencing, or for how long the convicted has held Russian citizenship.