Hi there! Thank you for looking at this page!

We are collecting funds for our dear friend, our loved one, our family member, our honest coworker, and one of the kindest human beings we know - Val Priimov.

After three years of building his life in the United States completely from scratch, Val was unexpectedly detained by immigration enforcement and his life was turned upside down in a matter of seconds. He has now been in a detention center since right before Thanksgiving, separated from us who love him and from the life he worked so hard to create.

Those of us who love Val are organizing this GoFundMe to help relieve the immense stress and financial burden he is facing. More than $24,000 has already been spent on legal fees, and expenses continue to grow daily while Val is unable to work. Even phone calls to stay connected and basic commissary items require funds.

Every donation will go directly towards legal expenses, ongoing bills, and basic necessities during this difficult time. If you are unable to donate, please consider sharing this fundraiser, keeping Val in your thoughts and prayers, or sending words of encouragement.

Below is a message from Val himself:

"Hi you all, it's me.

I want to start off this message by first expressing my extreme gratitude for all those in my life; from old friends to new friends, to my family in Russia, and to my second and third families here in the States. (I'm realizing my family keeps getting bigger and bigger!) Even though I lost access to being with everyone so suddenly, I feel very supported by you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

I'd like to share with you more about what's happened over the last few years. Almost exactly 3 years ago, I had to leave behind everyone and everything I knew in Russia to start a new life, which landed me in Texas. It was the hardest thing for me to do, but I never felt as excited about my future and happy about my life as I did then. Over the last three years, I've learned amazing lessons about the importance of family, friends, and community (even if they are far away, I know they're always there for me). I learned that hard work really does pay off, and I realized that life is even better and more amazing when you're being your true self. I stopped pretending and hiding who I am, started sharing my honest opinions and thoughts about things, and I began advocating for myself. I started to understand the importance of building my own life, and how empowering that is for achieving happiness and success. I also learned the beauty of two people who trust each other and fight for one another, which is a gift and a blessing that outweighs so many other things that I deemed more important earlier in life.

Over the last three years, I worked to earn a living and pay taxes, be a contributing member of American society, and gain legal privileges. I tried to do the best I could at every single thing I did, and I have had real partnership in life. I have learned the true meaning of happiness and hard work.

What I didn't understand three years ago was that I made a legal mistake that I never knew I was making. What was allowed three years ago is now considered a deportable offense and it's extremely hard to rationalize and understand, or even talk about this fact. I came to the United States looking for freedom and a better life, wanting to assimilate to the incredible American way of living, and I thought I was doing it the right way. I built and found that better life while doing every single thing that was asked of me. I hired a lawyer to work on my case immediately, I checked in yearly with Immigration, I never got even a parking ticket, I paid taxes, and never took a handout from the government. In just over the last year, I was able to prove myself in work, enough to be promoted up from a stocker, to Third Key Manager, to Assistant Store Manager, and I was just getting ready to accept an upcoming Store Manager position with the family-owned Texas chain I was employed by (Spec's). On November 20th, 2025, I was unexpectedly taken away from everything that I worked so hard for. I thought I was doing the right thing by going to my yearly immigration check-in. If I didn't check in, I gave the US government a reason to deport me, but I didn't know that by checking in this time, I would end up in a detention center. This is the reality right now: I'm in a detention center, feeling completely defeated as if there is no clear path for me anymore. There is no real timeline, and all of this is significantly affecting my loved ones on the outside. This also impacted the business I worked for because it took me away from a higher-up position that now needs to be filled.

To the people in my life - thank you, I love you, and I'm so sorry.

I've always worked hard for what I've earned, and rarely asked for any help. Instead, I figured out how to do things and was successfully making a life for myself. Every obstacle or challenge was faced head-on with the goal of doing great things for those I love. But, now, I do need help. I never thought I'd be asking for help, but I need it. I truly want to stay in the United States to continue contributing to the greater good, and I want to continue building the life I have dreamed about that is now feeling so far from reality. I need your heartfelt thoughts and prayers more than ever. I feel ashamed, guilty, defeated, and hopeless.

Another reality is that $24,000 has been spent just in legal fees alone, with that number going up with the left-behind bills and expenses of life, as well as the money that I have to use to connect with anyone on the outside or to buy even a bottle of water in commissary. I can hardly comprehend this reality. I'm still in complete shock, and even though I have a lawyer, and he's filed habeas corpus paperwork, I'm at the mercy of the immigration system.

I'm asking for a couple of things:

Firstly, prayers that I am able to get released from the detention center quickly, so that I can keep working and living, and prayers for my loved ones.

Secondly, if you're able to donate any money to this GoFundMe, that would directly go to pay for the legal fees and current bills.

If you have a question, want to connect, or want to send me a letter, please reach out to John-Robert (the organizer) below, using the 'Contact' button, and he can answer any questions and help you connect with me!

I don't know what I would do without the loved ones I have on the outside. I am a fighter, I am strong, and I trust that God will be next to me. I'm also human, I'm scared, and I feel defeated.

From the depths of my heart, thank you so much for everything. Your thoughts, prayers, support, and love are what keep me going and keep my spirits high."