WASHINGTON — A US immigration court has scheduled an initial hearing for August 12 in the case of Alevtina Soboleva, a 59-year-old Russian citizen detained last month at Buffalo Niagara International Airport, according to court documents reviewed on Thursday.
Soboleva was detained on July 20 while preparing to board a domestic flight from Buffalo to California after a trip to Niagara Falls, according to her daughter, as NBC Bay Area reported.
A court filing notifying Soboleva of the scheduled proceeding reads: “Your upcoming MASTER hearing is INTERNET-BASED on August 12, 2026 at 8:30 AM,” placing the hearing at 13:30 GMT. A master calendar hearing is a preliminary immigration court proceeding at which a judge sets the procedural schedule for the case.
Soboleva’s daughter said the court is also expected to consider a bail application the same day. The official case file, however, lists only the master hearing. The bail proceeding does not appear in the available court documentation.
According to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement records, Soboleva is being held in a detention facility in southern Louisiana, a significant distance from Buffalo, where she was apprehended, and from California, where she had been heading. Immigration detainees are routinely transferred between facilities across state lines based on bed capacity and administrative factors rather than proximity to their case venue or family.
Her family has described her medical condition as serious. Soboleva suffers from a progressive neurological condition affecting her balance and coordination, as well as hearing loss in her left ear. Following her detention, her daughter said, she developed a fever and worsening mobility problems. She currently does not have access to her glasses or her hearing aid and is not receiving treatment for her neurological condition, according to her family.
ICE has not publicly commented on the case. No criminal charges appear in the available court record. The reasons for Soboleva’s detention have not been made public by immigration authorities.
Whether Soboleva is represented by legal counsel was not apparent from the court documents reviewed on Thursday. Her family said she was in the United States as a tourist.
