Chinese man who filmed Xinjiang detention footage is granted asylum in US

A US immigration judge granted asylum to Guan Heng after finding he had a well‑founded fear of persecution linked to footage he released of Xinjiang detention facilities; the Department of Homeland Security has reserved the right to appeal and Guan remains in custody.

A US immigration judge has granted asylum to a Chinese national who the court found had a well‑founded fear of persecution after releasing footage of detention facilities in Xinjiang. The decision follows the man's arrival in the US in 2021 and months in custody after being detained during an immigration enforcement operation in August last year. The case drew public attention when the Department of Homeland Security initially sought to deport him to Uganda but later dropped that plan. The ruling comes amid broader reporting on rights concerns in Xinjiang and a marked decline in US asylum approval rates since 2025. Case details: - The judge, Charles Ouslander, found the applicant credible and determined he met the legal standard for asylum based on fear of retaliation if returned to China. - The applicant secretly filmed detention facilities in Xinjiang in 2020 and released that footage before leaving China and arriving in the US in 2021; he has been held in custody since an immigration operation in August last year. - DHS had at one point sought deportation to Uganda but withdrew that plan in December; the department told the court it reserved the right to appeal and has 30 days to decide. - Reporting notes a drop in the US asylum approval rate to about 10% in 2025, compared with about 28% in the period from 2010 to 2024. Summary: The ruling is a rare asylum approval in the current US enforcement context and the judge cited credible fear of retaliation tied to the Xinjiang footage. The applicant was not immediately released because DHS may appeal; the department has 30 days to decide whether to do so.