A Chinese-American man holding an American green card was arrested by the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on April 15 upon his return from China, due to alleged "past criminal records." He has been detained ever since. Despite interventions by New York City Councilwoman Susan Zhuang of the 43rd District and the office of U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, appealing for his release, as of April 19, the man remains detained at the Seattle airport detention center, and the case remains unresolved.

According to information provided by Congresswoman Susan Zhuang's office, the man surnamed Wen is about 32 years old. In 2006, he immigrated to the United States with his parents through family immigration. Since the age of 14, he has been legally residing in the U.S. The man holds a green card and has previously entered and exited the U.S. multiple times without any issues or investigations, maintaining a good travel record.

It is understood that he returned to Guangdong Taishan, China, in March this year with his American citizen girlfriend to visit relatives, and boarded a flight back to the U.S. on April 15, entering through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). His girlfriend passed through customs smoothly, while he was taken to the "secondary inspection area" (commonly known as the "little black room") by CBP officials and subsequently arrested and detained.

The CBP initially claimed that the man may have unresolved criminal records in Pennsylvania, such as "speeding" or "unpaid traffic fines," which could constitute grounds for "removal" or "denial of entry."

However, Congresswoman Zhuang's office immediately arranged staff to conduct a comprehensive query on the Pennsylvania judicial system, revealing that there were no criminal records under the man's name and no information indicating unpaid tickets. This discovery shocked and confused the family and elected officials.

"We cannot understand why CBP continues to detain this legal green card holder for such a long time without any criminal record," said Congresswoman Zhuang. "What is more worrying is that so far, the Seattle CBP has not provided any formal written reasons or evidence."

After multiple unsuccessful attempts to contact CBP, Congresswoman Zhuang further contacted Senator Chuck Schumer's office to request pressure from the federal level. Schumer's office immediately communicated with the Seattle customs unit and stated: "According to federal law, if there is no clear conviction record or pending case, a legal resident cannot be detained for an unreasonable amount of time."

Meanwhile, a Brooklyn legal aid organization has also intervened to provide legal support for the man and plans to request an emergency hearing from CBP, demanding either his release or an opportunity to appear before an immigration judge to explain the situation.

The man's parents reside on Staten Island. Upon learning of their son's arrest, they became extremely distressed. They stated that their son had planned to return home directly to prepare for next month's work arrangements but was suddenly detained at a distant airport without notification of any formal charges or court arrangements, causing great unease. His girlfriend also expressed that she had waited near the Seattle airport for five days to see her boyfriend pass through customs, feeling physically and mentally exhausted.

In an interview with the media, Congresswoman Zhuang particularly reminded expatriates: "Friends who plan to travel abroad must carefully check before departure whether they have any unresolved traffic violations, past minor criminal cases, or issues caused by using different names leading to misrecordings. These small historical matters could potentially be misjudged as 'grounds for deportation' in the CBP system."

She also emphasized that when facing customs inquiries, never sign documents lightly, such as so-called "voluntary departure agreements" or "waivers of hearings," but insist on requesting to see an immigration judge to gain reasonable explanations and opportunities for appeal.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7496253311016911400/

Disclaimer: The article solely represents the author's views. Please express your opinions by clicking the [Like/Dislike] buttons below.