In a significant reversal, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has abandoned its effort to deport Chinese national Guan Heng, whose clandestine documentation of human rights violations in China’s Xinjiang region had placed him at grave risk. The decision, confirmed by human rights advocates on Monday, follows mounting public pressure and congressional advocacy on behalf of the 38-year-old detainee.
Human rights attorney Rayhan Asat, who provided legal assistance in the case, revealed that Guan’s legal representatives received official correspondence from DHS indicating the withdrawal of deportation proceedings to Uganda. Asat expressed confidence that Guan’s asylum application would now ‘proceed smoothly and favorably.’ Zhou Fengsuo, executive director of Human Rights in China, simultaneously verified the administration’s policy shift, stating simply: ‘We’re really happy.’
The case centers on Guan’s courageous actions in 2020, when he covertly filmed detention facilities in Xinjiang where activists allege up to one million ethnic minorities, predominantly Uyghurs, have been incarcerated. Beijing consistently denies these allegations, maintaining the facilities constitute vocational training centers aimed at combating extremism while teaching employable skills.
Understanding he couldn’t safely release the evidence from within China, Guan departed the mainland in 2021, traveling through Hong Kong to Ecuador—which then permitted visa-free entry for Chinese citizens. His journey continued to the Bahamas, where he procured a small inflatable vessel before undertaking a perilous 23-hour maritime crossing to Florida’s coastline. The footage was subsequently published on YouTube, providing visual documentation of the alleged abuses.
Following his arrival, Guan sought asylum and established residence in a quiet New York community outside Albany until his detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in August. His plight gained national attention after human rights organizations publicized his case, generating substantial congressional support. The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission declared on social media that Guan ‘put himself at risk to document concentration camps in Xinjiang, part of the CCP’s genocide against Uyghurs,’ adding that he ‘should be given every opportunity to stay in a place of refuge.’
Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), ranking member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, personally appealed to Homeland Security leadership, arguing the U.S. bears ‘a moral responsibility to stand up for victims of human rights abuses in Xinjiang’ and those who risk their safety to expose them. Guan’s legal team is currently negotiating his release on bond from the ICE detention facility as his asylum process continues. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for commentary.