After reading a 2020 BuzzFeed News report on massive detention camps in China detaining numerous Uyghurs, Guan Heng, a YouTuber from Henan, China, decided to investigate firsthand.
In October 2021, Guan traveled to Xinjiang alone and used a telephoto lens to capture footage of the hidden camps that reportedly hold up to a million Uyghurs, according to human rights organizations.
This led to a series of events that saw Guan fleeing China, traveling to the U.S. via Ecuador and the Bahamas, and eventually seeking asylum, only to be caught in an Immigration Customs and Border (ICE) raid last summer.
Five years later, a U.S. judge has granted asylum to Guan, who presented compelling testimony to justify his need for asylum, as stated by his lawyer, Chen Chuangchuang, in an interview with As It Happens host Nil Kӧksal.
‘He needed to do something’
Prior to these events, Guan, an enthusiastic traveler, had observed unsettling circumstances in Xinjiang in 2019, noticing a stark contrast in the region compared to other parts of China with a heavy presence of security forces, as described by his lawyer.
Xinjiang is predominantly inhabited by the Uyghur ethnic minority in China, who are reportedly subjected to extensive surveillance, detention, and forced labor, according to human rights groups.
Initially lacking a complete understanding of what he witnessed, Guan was motivated to take action after encountering the Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative series, “Built To Last,” which detailed China’s expansion of internment camps in Xinjiang using satellite imagery and interviews with former detainees.
Fearing reprisal from Chinese authorities, Guan flew to Ecuador, sailed to the Bahamas, and then proceeded to the U.S., where he applied for asylum after uploading his footage on YouTube.
‘Collateral arrest’ in ICE raid
Chen revealed that Guan resided in the U.S. for four years awaiting a review of his asylum request before being apprehended by ICE last August during a raid targeting his roommates in New York with a warrant.
Despite clarifying the circumstances of his arrival in the U.S., Guan was detained by ICE, leading to a debate on his potential deportation to Uganda for illegal border crossing, a practice supported by the U.S. Supreme Court under the Trump administration.
Guan’s arrest sparked criticism from human rights advocates and U.S. lawmakers who credited his footage with supporting legislation that banned imports from Xinjiang.
Following a hearing in Napanoch, N.Y., Judge Charles Ouslander acknowledged Guan as a credible witness and granted him asylum, emphasizing the threat of retaliation by the Chinese government if he were to return.
Still awaiting release
Despite the asylum approval, Guan remains in custody, with the Department of Homeland Security given 30 days to consider an appeal, as urged by Judge Ouslander.
Requests for comments from DHS on this matter remain unanswered.