Trump admin drops plan to deport Chinese whistleblower

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has abandoned efforts to send Guan Heng to Uganda, reversing course after growing calls to protect the Chinese whistleblower who filmed detention camps in Xinjiang.

Catch up: The DHS dropped its plan to remove Guan on Dec. 19, his lawyer Atty. Allen Chen told Reuters. The 38-year-old, however, remains under Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody as a detainee, with his legal team working to secure his release.

Guan’s current predicament stems from an August immigration raid at his upstate New York home that initially targeted his roommate but resulted in his detention. The deportation threat materialized at a Dec. 16 court appearance when federal attorneys proposed Uganda, a country with close Beijing ties, prompting Judge Charles Ouslander to schedule a Jan. 12 hearing citing public interest.

Why this matters: Guan’s case highlights how immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump can conflict with human rights advocacy. In October 2020, Guan used a telephoto camera to document Xinjiang facilities that satellite reporting had flagged as probable detention sites, capturing guard towers, high walls and barbed wire. After fleeing China in 2021 through Ecuador, he spent nearly 23 hours crossing open water in an inflatable boat from the Bahamas to Florida before releasing his 19-minute video that October. He then sought asylum and settled in New York.

Trump’s first administration determined that China’s actions against Uyghurs and other minorities constituted genocide. Now, in a Dec. 12 letter to Guan’s immigration judge, the State Department noted that “China has harassed and retaliated against those it deems disloyal to the CCP, regardless of whether they live in China or abroad.” The situation shows how enforcement policies can endanger those fleeing persecution whose work supports U.S. foreign policy priorities.

What’s next: Whether the DHS will pursue Guan’s removal to another destination remains unclear. Guan should have a bond hearing within weeks, but his asylum case, which was filed in October 2021, may take years to resolve. Still, human rights lawyer Rayhan Asat, who assisted in his case, told AP News she expects the case will “proceed smoothly and favorably.” Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who has also expressed support for Guan, previously wrote that the U.S. “should not be complicit in the detention, torture, or worse of individuals who bravely documented the human rights abuses of the Chinese Communist Party.”