A Chinese man named Fei Zheng and his six-year-old son, Yuanxin, were recently detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in New York City, leading to their temporary separation, which has sparked concerns from the community and political circles. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that the father and son were deported together last week and arrived in China on the evening of the 19th.
According to reports from NBC and The City, Jennie Spector, a community volunteer who has been in contact with Fei Zheng, confirmed with friends in China that the father and son safely returned. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin also confirmed that this family was deported back to China.
Fei Zheng and his son entered the United States from the U.S.-Mexico border in April this year seeking asylum. They were placed in a family immigration detention center in Texas twice and were later granted parole to temporarily leave the detention center. On November 26, when they reported to the immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan, they were arrested again.
DHS stated that Fei Zheng was then transferred to an upstate New York prison while his six-year-old son was placed under the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which is responsible for sheltering unaccompanied immigrant children. As a result, the father and son were separated for several weeks, only able to communicate twice via phone, and Fei Zheng was unaware of his son’s exact whereabouts.
After media disclosure of this case, it quickly drew concerns from elected officials including several members of Congress and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. Over a hundred parents and students gathered near the public school where Yuanxin used to attend, demanding ICE to reunite the father and son.
In response to external criticisms about the forced separation of the family, McLaughlin stated that ICE does not proactively break up families and enforcement methods are consistent with previous administrations. She noted that parents are asked if they are willing to be deported with their children, otherwise the children will be entrusted to safe caregivers according to their designation.
The Department of Homeland Security stated that Fei Zheng and his son had received deportation orders in accordance with the law. McLaughlin mentioned that Fei Zheng had refused to board the plane and displayed “disruptive and aggressive behavior endangering the well-being of the child,” leading to his solitary confinement. She emphasized that refusing to comply with a judge’s deportation order constitutes a criminal offense.
However, Spector stated that Fei Zheng, during the period of separation from his son, decided to stop contesting his immigration case in order to reunite with him as soon as possible, agreeing to cooperate with deportation. She mentioned that the father and son had originally hoped to live, learn, and work in New York, making the final outcome regrettable.