6-year-old boy separated from father by ICE as NYC Mayor-elect Mamdani condemns 'cruelty'

A 6-year-old boy from China has been separated from his father after federal immigration officers detained them during a routine check-in in New York City. According to custody records, the boys father, Fei Zheng, is being held at the Orange County Correctional Facility in upstate New York. Advocates for the family say that the child, Yuanxin, is unaccounted for, and Homeland Security officials have not revealed his whereabouts.

Yuanxin, a first-grade student in Astoria, Queens, was taken into custody along with his father last week at 26 Federal Plaza, where they were attending an immigration appointment. Advocates accompanying the family say the child is now considered missing. A family friend stated that the boy should be in school rather than being held in detention, and criticized the separation from his father, whom she described as a devoted caregiver.

Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated that the agency did not separate the family, although she confirmed they were in different forms of custody. She said that parents are given the option to be removed along with their children or to designate someone trustworthy to care for them. She added that after a removal order was issued, the father refused to board a flight and behaved in a way officials deemed unsafe for the child, including attempting to flee.

New York officials have demanded that the family be reunited and that ICE pull out of the city, which has become a focal point for protests against federal immigration actions. At recent demonstrations, several people were arrested after attempting to block an ICE operation in Manhattan, and a federal building has faced scrutiny for conditions inside and for detaining immigrants immediately after their court hearings.

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who represents Astoria, condemned the situation, calling it an act of cruelty that must stop. Other city leaders echoed the sentiment, with City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams describing the separation as indefensible. Council member Tiffany Caban criticized ICE for withholding information about the childs location, calling the situation unsafe and inhumane. Local leaders, including candidates and congressional representatives, urged federal officials to reunite the family immediately.

The familys arrest on November 26 is the third time they have been held in ICE custody since arriving in the U.S. earlier this year to seek asylum. They previously spent weeks in a family detention center before being released over the summer, were arrested again in August during another check-in, and returned to a family facility. Their asylum case was closed in September, and at the time, there was no indication of imminent removal, according to advocates. They were detained once more during a court-ordered appointment last month.

Advocates say Fei Zheng has not been informed of his sons location since the separation. They have accused federal authorities of effectively abducting the child.

The case comes amid a nationwide rise in the detention of minors, with immigration attorneys warning that the government may be preparing to deport large numbers of children. More than 600 immigrant children have been placed in federal shelters this yearmore than the previous four years combinedaccording to data cited by legal advocates. Many of these children were taken into custody inside 26 Federal Plaza during immigration hearings or check-ins.

The shelters for unaccompanied minors are operated by the Office of Refugee Resettlement under the Department of Health and Human Services. Earlier this year, a federal judge halted the removal of hundreds of Guatemalan children held in such shelters after concerns were raised about abrupt deportations.

Author: Maya Henderson