A Chinese father and son from Astoria, Queens, were allegedly separated after they were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents following a scheduled immigration hearing at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan.
Community advocates said Fei and his 6-year-old son, Yuanxin, were both detained on Nov. 26. Their last names are being withheld at their request.
“The father does not know where his son is”
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement Fei and his son were “given a lawful order of removal as a family unit,” but she alleges Fei “refused to board the plane and was acting so disruptive and aggressive that he endangered the child’s wellbeing. He even attempted to escape and abandon his son.”
McLaughlin added, in part, “ICE does not separate families. This is consistent with past administrations’ immigration enforcement. Parents are asked if they want to be removed with their children or ICE will place the children with a safe person the parent designates.”
A man named Fei and his 6-year-old son, Yuanxin, were allegedly separated after they were detained by ICE agents following a scheduled immigration hearing in Manhattan.
Fei’s family
Community advocate Jennie Spector has been working with the family to help them legally obtain citizenship since this summer.
“The father does not know where his son is. He has not been told where his son is,” she said. “They basically have kidnapped his son.”
She spoke with Fei from the detention center in Orange County where she says he’s currently being held.
“He was trying to put, I think, on a brave face, you know?” Spector said. “But he was tearful during times … that we met because he doesn’t know where his son is and they’re not telling him.”
NYC officials react to ICE detainment
On Tuesday, Mayor-elect and Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani posted on social media about the family, who resides in his district.
“Last week, ICE arrested and separated a father and son after a routine check-in,” he wrote. “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.”
Diana Moreno, who is looking to replace the mayor-elect in Assembly District 36, also spoke out, saying she believes the family’s detainment impacts the entire community.
“It’s hitting our neighbors, it’s hitting our community really hard,” she said. “To see their classmates disappear overnight is something that no parent wants to explain to their kid why this is happening.”
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