I understand the difference between “emigrate” (to discontinue residence in a place) and “immigrate” (to take up residence in a place). But correct me if I'm wrong: the correct usage is redundant.

One says, “He emigrated from Russia in the teens.”

One says, “Immigrants to Western Europe often find...”

The preposition always denotes whether you left the place or entered it. Neither word takes a direct object (“He emigrated Russia” never appears) so you're always stuck using a preposition. What's more, the process of emigration, like that of immigration, necessarily has a source and a destination. If you emigrate from Russia, you end up somewhere (excepting the case of perpetual refugees). Thus it makes sense to say, “He immigrated from Russia to Spain.” In fact, I'm tempted to say that the acts of emigration and immigration are precisely the same and that the two words cannot be used to indicate anything different from one another.

What am I missing?