Chinese man who documented Uyghur detentions granted US asylum

In a rare and major snub to the United States (U.S.) President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policy, an immigration judge has granted asylum to a Chinese citizen, who exposed the alleged human rights abuses against Uyghurs.

Guan Heng entered the U.S. illegally in 2021 and was arrested soon after Trump announced an anti-immigration crackdown in August 2025. The judge ruled that the 38-year-old Chinese national had a well-founded fear of being persecuted if sent back to China.

Heng secretly filmed and released the footage of detention centers in Xinjiang, China, adding to the evidence of what activists describe as the worst persecution and human rights abuses of 1 million detainees, particularly Uyghur Muslims.

During his court appearance via video link from the detention center, the judge asked Heng if the purpose of filming and releasing the video of detention centers was to seek asylum in the U.S.

Heng replied that this was not his goal, adding, “I sympathized with the Uyghurs who were persecuted.

He released the footage on YouTube before taking a boat to Florida in October 2021, telling his friends that he wasn’t sure if he would survive the boat journey, so “I wanted to make sure the footage would be seen.”

China has denied the allegations stating that the so-called “detention centers” were actually vocational training centers to help local residents learn skills and root out their radical thoughts.