Chinese dissident who filmed Uyghur camps detained by ICE, fights deportation
Dec 1, 2025·Location: Albany, NY
Country of origin: China

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
Sources
- Chinese Dissidents Once Hoped the US Would Lead the World to Democracy. Now They’re Being Detained by ICE.
americancommunitymedia.org·Jun 18, 2026·archived copy
- Xinjiang whistleblower faces deportation to China — lawyer
dw.com·Jan 12, 2026·archived copy
- Chinese man who filmed alleged Uyghur camps risks removal from US
hongkongfp.com·Dec 18, 2025·archived copy
- Chinese asylum seeker who exposed rights abuses fights to stay in the US
independent.co.uk·Jan 24, 2026·archived copy
infonews.ca·Jan 23, 2026
- Chinese Whistleblower Guan Heng Freed After US Asylum Win
courtnews.org·Feb 5, 2026·archived copy
- A Chinese man who filmed secret footage in Xinjiang risks deportation from the U.S.
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