A man who secretly filmed Uyghur internment camps in China will have an asylum hearing Wednesday afternoon.
Guan Heng had been waiting for a hearing on his asylum case for over four years when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials arrested him.
They were looking for his roommate who was not home.
Heng arrived in the United States in October 2021. He fled China after secretly filming internment camps allegedly holding Uyghur and other minority people in a far western Xinjiang region of the country. The Chinese government calls them “reeducation” camps or “vocational training” centers.
Heng released some of his footage when he arrived in The Bahamas. He then left for the United States alone in a small inflatable boat. In the U.S. he applied for asylum and was granted a work permit.
He eventually settled outside Albany where he worked two jobs and waited for his case to be heard.
His attorney has said he was still waiting for a hearing in 2025. Instead, they took Heng into custody.
Heng has been held in the Broome County jail since August.
Immigration hearings are held virtually with the judge, the attorneys and detainees in different locations. Heng’s next asylum hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.