US Drops Deportation Plan for Chinese National Who Filmed Xinjiang Detention Facilities
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has withdrawn its plan to deport Guan Heng, a 38-year-old Chinese national, to Uganda. Guan Heng had entered the United States illegally and is now expected to proceed with asylum proceedings. Guan is known for secretly filming detention facilities in Xinjiang, footage that activists say documents abuses against Uyghurs.
Guan Heng left China in 2021, first traveling to Hong Kong, then Ecuador, and eventually reaching Florida after traveling by inflatable boat from the Bahamas. The footage he released on YouTube has been cited by activists as evidence of the alleged abuses in Xinjiang. In August, Guan was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at a New York facility; his lawyers are currently seeking his release on bond as his asylum case moves forward.
Public support in Congress has grown in his favor, with calls from the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission and Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi urging that Guan be granted asylum and safe haven in the US. Advocacy figures Rayhan Asat and Zhou Fengsuo have confirmed the DHS decision and their involvement. The DHS did not immediately comment on the matter.
Meanwhile, Beijing denies the rights abuses in Xinjiang, claiming that it operates vocational training programs, contrasting with the allegations supported by Guan Heng's footage.
