Overview
- Fei Zheng was taken into custody during a Nov. 26 ICE check-in at 26 Federal Plaza and is listed at Orange County Correctional Facility, while his son, Yuanxin, does not appear in ICE’s public detainee database.
- Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said “ICE does not separate families” and alleged Zheng refused to board a plane, acted disruptively, endangered the child, and attempted to escape, without disclosing the child’s location.
- Advocates who accompanied the pair say the boy was taken inside the federal building, the father has not been told where he is, and lawyers and local officials are pressing for access and reunification.
- Immigration records show the family’s case was administratively closed in September, they were granted a year-long parole on Oct. 24 with required check-ins, and this is their third detention since entering in April.
- FOIA data reported by journalists indicate ICE arrested 151 minors from January through October with a sharp increase beginning in May, placing this incident within a broader rise in child arrests at check-ins.