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Chinese dissident who filmed Uyghur camps detained by ICE, fights deportation

Dec 1, 2025·Location: Albany, NY

Country of origin: China

Chinese dissident who filmed Uyghur camps detained by ICE, fights deportation
Photo via infonews.ca

Guan Heng, a 38-year-old Chinese asylum seeker, secretly filmed internment facilities in Xinjiang in 2020 before fleeing China and arriving in the U.S. in 2021, where he applied for asylum, obtained a work permit, and worked as an Uber driver and delivery worker in Queens. In August 2025, ICE agents arrested him at his home near Albany, New York, during an operation targeting his housemates, and he has since been held at Broome County Correctional Facility. DHS initially sought to deport him to Uganda, but dropped that plan in December after his case drew attention from Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi and public advocacy groups. Guan is now appealing to remain in the United States, saying he fears prosecution, imprisonment, or torture if returned to China.

Timeline

Dec 1, 2025—DHS dropped plan to deport him to Uganda after intervention by Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi and advocacy groups
Aug 1, 2025—Arrested by ICE agents at his home outside Albany during an operation targeting his housemates
Aug 1, 2025—Detained at Broome County Correctional Facility; DHS sought to deport him to Uganda
Jan 1, 2021—Arrived in the United States and applied for asylum after fleeing China
Jan 1, 2020—Secretly filmed Xinjiang detention facilities targeting Uyghur Muslims
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