ICE Separates Chinese Asylum-Seeker and Son During NYC Check-In

Routine Immigration Check-In Results in Father-Son Separation in Manhattan

A Chinese asylum-seeker and his young son were taken into custody and split up by ICE agents during a scheduled check-in at a federal office in Lower Manhattan. Community advocates say the boy’s whereabouts remain unknown, raising concerns over family separation practices.

Fei Zheng, who crossed the U.S. border with his six-year-old son, Yuanxin, in April, appeared at 26 Federal Plaza on November 26 for a routine immigration appointment. According to reports, both were detained on site, with Zheng transferred to the Orange County Correction Facility in Goshen, New York—about 65 miles from the city.

“We do not know where his six-year-old son is, and he has not been told where his six-year-old son is,” community advocate Jennie Spector said.

Multiple Detentions and Legal Status

Advocates note this marks the third detention of Zheng and his son by ICE agents since their spring arrival. After being paroled in late October, they began building a life in Queens: Zheng secured housing, and Yuanxin enrolled in first grade at a school in Astoria.

In a statement, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson disputed the separation claims: “ICE does not separate families… Mr. Zheng had the right and the ability to depart the country as a family and willfully chose to not comply.” ICE policy states that unaccompanied children are rarely detained.

“For them to say they don’t separate families is just an outright lie because we know that they do and they did in this situation. And we know that they’ve done it with many other families,” Spector said.

Community Reaction and Next Steps

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani condemned the incident on social media: “Six-year-old Yuanxin had just enrolled in the first grade at an elementary school in Astoria. Now he’s in custody, alone. ICE won’t say where. This cruelty serves no one. It must end.”

Advocates are pursuing legal avenues and seeking support from local elected officials to secure Zheng’s release and reunify him with his son. “This is the case for so many of these families and individuals who are going in and following immigration law as mandated, yet they’re being arrested and detained and being disappeared. Right now, his son is disappeared,” Spector said.

“I’m sure he was really enjoying being in school and that’s where he should be. That’s where a six-year-old should be — with other children and learning and being with their parents and not separated and in detention,” Spector added.