Hundreds Rally in Astoria After 6-Year-Old Is Placed in ORR Custody Following ICE Check-In

More than 200 people gathered in Astoria, Queens, on Sunday to protest the detention of Fei Zheng and the transfer of his 6-year-old son, Yuanxin, into federal custody after a routine Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) check-in on Nov. 26.

Family Detained After Routine Check-In

Community activist Jennie Spector coordinated two volunteers to accompany Zheng and his son to the ICE office. The volunteers waited outside—visitors are not allowed inside check-ins—and after several hours, "they never heard from him," Spector told NBC News. Zheng was taken to the Orange County Correctional Facility and remained in immigration custody, while his son was transferred to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), the Department of Homeland Security said.

Uncertainty Over Child's Whereabouts

ORR places unaccompanied children with an approved guardian or in an ORR facility; officials have not disclosed the child’s specific location. Spector said Zheng has been able to call from detention and briefly spoke with his son over the weekend—the first time he had heard the child’s voice since they were separated on Thanksgiving Eve.

“He was able to be put in touch with his son, but he doesn’t know exactly where he is or what kind of place he is living in. No one has confirmed that to him,” Spector said.

Federal Response

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told NBC News by email that "ICE does not separate families" and that minors and adults are placed in custody consistent with past administrations' enforcement. McLaughlin said Zheng and his son are Chinese nationals living in the U.S. without authorization and had been issued a lawful order of removal as a family unit. She added that Zheng previously refused to board a deportation flight to China in September and that, according to DHS, his refusal and conduct endangered the child’s wellbeing.

"To be clear, refusing a judge’s deportation order is a crime. As a result, the child was placed with ORR custody," McLaughlin wrote.

Legal Representation and Background

Attorney Mike Gao has said Zheng refused to board the flight out of fear of reprisal in China; Gao previously told The New York Times that his client feared government retribution. Online immigration records show Zheng and Yuanxin had hearings while detained in September; local reporting indicates their asylum case was administratively closed at that hearing. Spector told NBC News the pair were released on parole on Oct. 24 for one year and then were arrested again roughly a month later after settling in New York City.

Community Response and Calls For Reunification

The rally, organized by the western Queens chapter of Indivisible, included many members of Yuanxin’s school community. Protesters carried signs reading messages such as "Kids Aren't Pawns" and "Kids Belong In School Not In Detention." Speakers included a first-grade teacher who described Yuanxin as a puppet-maker who excels in math and whose absence is felt daily by his classmates.

Local advocates contacted Democratic Reps. Nydia Velázquez and Grace Meng and City Council Member Julie Won for help locating the child and urging federal agencies to pursue reunification. The lawmakers said their offices are in contact with Zheng’s attorneys and appropriate agencies but noted legal limits on what can be publicly shared.

Organizers and elected officials continue to press federal authorities for information about the child’s location and for steps to reunite the family, saying the separation has caused trauma in the immigrant community and undermines trust in government.