The Asian Diaspora

ICE agents arrested a Chinese father and his 6-year-old son, separating the two and sending the father to Orange County Jail while the whereabouts of the son remain unknown as of Tuesday morning.

The father and son spent several weeks inside a family ICE detention center after they first entered the country and were released on parole in early summer. They were arrested again at an August ICE check-in and returned to Dilley Immigration Processing Center, a detention center for families with children, where the two had previously been held.

In September, at an immigration court hearing while they were detained, a judge administratively closed their asylum case, according to immigration court records. Under prior administrations, would have been seen as a positive step and indicated that DHS wasn’t actively seeking the person’s deportation.

And just over a month later, on Oct. 24, the father and son were released on a year-long parole, according to a copy of their DHS Immigration and Customs Enforcement parole document reviewed by THE CITY. They were required to return for an ICE check-in in early December, according to the document.

“ICE may also terminate parole on notice prior to the automatic termination date,” the document warned. “Parole is entirely within the discretion of ICE and can be terminated at any time and for any reason.”

Despite the uncertainty, the two were settling into life in New York City, living at a family shelter in Queens, while Yuanxin had started first grade at P.S. 166Q in Astoria, according to Spector.

Archived: https://archive.ph/jZjDm