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LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The fate of an Armenian political dissident’s life is before a federal immigration judge.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has held Vardan Gukasian, 47, for the last six months at its Henderson Detention Center.
“They know that his life is in danger if he were returned to Armenia; That’s why he came here and sought asylum in the first place,” Zachary Nightingale of Van Der LLP said. “He was a very public figure in the Armenian political community.”
Nightingale and Hardeep Sull of Sull and Associates are among the lawyers helping Gukasian navigate the federal immigration system and representing him in court.
“The thing about asylum law in particular is by law they’re confidential. These are folks who fear being harmed,” Nightingale said.
Nightingale describes Gukasian’s case as very unusual. For one, the dissident is very well known among Armenians, and second, being detained has hurt his chances of being granted asylum.
“The fact that he has been required to be detained has really made this case much more difficult to defend. And as a result, we’ve had several court hearings,” Nightingale said.
Gukasian’s supporters have shown up to all his hearings, and many are worried about the outcome of his case.
“If he’s deported to Armenia or another country, they’re going to kill him. Yes, they’re going to kill him,” Gayane Manukyan previously told 8 News Now.
Gukasian initially came to the United States under political asylum.
ICE provided a statement to 8 News Now on the arrest.
“Gukasian was arrested by ICE officers Feb. 20 and placed into custody for his immigration proceedings. He entered the United States Feb. 19, 2022, and failed to depart under the terms of his admission,” an ICE spokesperson said.
According to a 2023 Armenian article, an international warrant was issued for Gukasian’s arrest after he was charged with extortion, calls for violence and contempt of court. The Armenian government asked the US to extradite him.
“He’s really glad to get his day in court. He’s not thrilled to be detained while it’s happening. That’s unfortunate, we’re dealing with that,” Nightingale said.
Gukasian has had several immigration hearings, but his attorneys said Friday’s may have been the final one. They don’t expect an answer on whether he’s granted asylum for a couple of days.
Supporters of the Armenian dissident have appealed to President Donald Trump to intercede, but they haven’t had any luck.
