Guan Heng, a human rights activist from China, has been in U.S. custody since August 2023 after being swept up in an immigration enforcement operation. During a recent call from the Broome County Correctional Facility in New York, the 38-year-old expressed his fears regarding deportation, stating, "I would be prosecuted, I would be jailed, I would be tortured." Guan's asylum request follows his escape from China over four years ago, during which he published video footage exposing human rights abuses in China's Xinjiang region.
A judge is set to consider Guan's appeal to remain in the U.S., where he originally sought asylum. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) initially attempted to deport him to Uganda but abandoned this plan in December after public concern and attention from Congress arose regarding his case. Despite this reprieve, Guan's future remains uncertain.
Guan noted that the surge of public attention has offered him hope, contrasting this experience with the isolation he felt during the initial months in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention. He stated, "There was no help from the outside world," and he expressed pessimism regarding the fate of fellow detainees amid widespread anti-immigration policies during the Trump administration.
According to Vanessa Dojaquez-Torres of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, asylum seekers are increasingly at risk of being returned to dangerous situations in their home countries. Guan, part of a wave of asylum seekers facing deportation despite valid claims, was apprehended by ICE agents during a raid targeting his housemates. The encounter occurred while ICE assisted the FBI in executing a criminal search warrant.
In response to inquiries about Guan's case, Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokesperson, stated that he entered the U.S. illegally and that all his claims would be evaluated by an immigration judge. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, a member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, has called for Guan's release and urged adherence to due process and the protection of human rights whistleblowers.
The Trump administration has emphasized a stringent approach to asylum applications, focusing on rapidly deporting individuals instead of allowing them to remain in the U.S. while their cases are pending. Federal data reveals that in 2025, approximately 170,626 asylum seekers were ordered deported, a significant portion of the overall deportations conducted by the administration. Similarly, the number of abandoned asylum applications has surged, with 31% marked abandoned in 2025—a stark increase from previous years.
Guan's activism against human rights violations in Xinjiang has taken him on a perilous journey. In 2020, he secretly filmed detention facilities in the region, contributing to the growing body of evidence regarding the Chinese government's treatment of ethnic minorities, particularly the Uyghurs. The Chinese government, however, denies these allegations, asserting that its actions in Xinjiang are focused on promoting human rights and economic development.
After successfully escaping China, Guan initially traveled to Hong Kong, then continued to Ecuador and the Bahamas before finally reaching Florida in October 2021. Feeling the weight of his past, Guan tried to build a stable life in New York City, working as an Uber driver and delivery person while cutting contact with relatives in China to protect them from government retaliation.
Despite his current predicament, Guan expresses trust in the American democratic system, recognizing the fluctuations in immigration policy as part of that system’s nature. He also notes the outpouring of community support he has received from local residents, which has allowed him to experience warmth and solidarity in U.S. society. If released, Guan hopes to continue his advocacy work and assist others facing similar challenges.
