Chinese human rights lawyer detained by ICE while delivering packages, faces deportation
Jul 18, 2026·Location: Mount Holly Springs, PA
Country of origin: China

Shaoping Wu, a 48-year-old Chinese human rights lawyer, was detained by ICE in mid-July 2026 while working as an Amazon delivery driver in Pennsylvania. Wu fled China in 2019 after the government cracked down on lawyers challenging authorities in civil rights cases. He arrived in the U.S. on a tourist visa, filed for asylum in 2020, and received work authorization. He had been working full-time as a delivery driver since April 2025 while continuing his advocacy work criticizing the Chinese Communist Party. Wu was living in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania with his wife Li Caoliu and their 17-year-old daughter, a Hempfield High School student. During his arrest, he informed police about his pending asylum application, but they notified immigration officials who detained him at Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Clearfield County. His wife expressed concern about lost income and mounting bills while helping with his defense. Human rights organizations have warned that Wu could face serious retaliation if deported to China.
Timeline
Sources
- ICE arrests human rights lawyer who fled Chinese crackdown
The Guardian·Jul 17, 2026·archived copy
aol.co.uk·Jul 17, 2026·archived copy
- New York Times
- Chinese human rights lawyer seeking asylum is arrested by ICE in Pennsylvania
- Chinese human rights lawyer living in Mountville speaks from ICE detention center as family waits for hearing
lancasteronline.com·Jul 21, 2026·archived copy
- Mountville human rights lawyer released from custody; hundreds protest local ICE cooperation
lancasteronline.com·Jul 25, 2026·archived copy
- Wu Shaoping escaped China’s repression, only to get busted by ICE in Pa. | Will Bunch
- people.com
- Chinese human rights lawyer remains out of ICE custody, ordered to wear ankle monitor
lancasteronline.com·Jul 29, 2026·archived copy
- This quaint Pa. borough is a ‘speed trap’ nabbing immigrants for ICE | Will Bunch
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