Heartwarming: Dad, Son Separated by ICE Are Deported to China Together
The boy loved making puppets, which he will now cherish as memories.
After Weeks Apart, Father Finally Agrees to Go Home
| Sarangerel Srisawat Central Asia Writer |
Grab the tissues, because this story is a real tearjerker.
Fei Zheng and his six-year-old son Yuanxin are finally together again after US immigration officials reunited the pair this week by deporting them to China.
The father and son, who had been separated since their arrest at a routine Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) check-in in Lower Manhattan last month, were flown back to their home country Wednesday.
"We're thrilled to report we were able to remove the family back to their home country," said Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, perfectly summing up what we're all feeling right now.
Zheng, who entered the US in April claiming he feared being tortured in China, had twice refused to board deportation flights, which only delayed the beautiful moment to come. After weeks apart from his son, who had been placed in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, Zheng finally agreed to be removed. Sometimes love means compromise.
The pair had spent only about a month living freely in Queens before their Thanksgiving Eve arrest. During that time, Yuanxin enrolled in first grade at PS 166 in Astoria, where his teacher described him as great at making friends and incredibly good at math for a first-grader. He also loved making puppets, experiences he will now be able to cherish as memories.
Zheng, who has no criminal history according to government records, had cycled in and out of detention with his son at least twice since arriving in the country. And yet, immigration officials determined that his fear of torture was not credible, and an immigration judge affirmed that finding. So really, there was nothing to worry about all along.
Community advocates who visited Zheng during his detention at Orange County Correctional Facility described him as tearful but, and this is the part that gets us, still hopeful about seeing his son again.
The two were eventually able to speak twice by phone while separated, though Zheng was never told his son's exact location. Talk about anticipation!
New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and US Representative Nydia Velázquez were among those who criticized the family's separation and called for their release. But ultimately, the system worked: the Zhengs are together, and they're going home. ■
