US Deports Chinese Father and Son After Separation, Drawing Accusations of Coercion

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has deported a Chinese man and his 6-year-old son after separating them for weeks, a move that activists claim was a coercive tactic. A community advocate involved in the case alleges that immigration authorities used the child's separation as leverage to compel the father to agree to his own deportation, despite his stated fear of returning to China.

Jennie Spector, a community activist who spoke with the father, Fei Zheng, just two days before his removal, asserted that the separation was the decisive factor. “He [Fei] agreed because he wanted to be reunited with his son,” Spector said in an interview. “He did tell me he had fear of returning… But I think he was kind of relieved that he would be reunited with Yuanxin, even if he had to go back.”

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Spector described Zheng as a “bright person” who “had a lot to offer to this country,” but was instead treated like a criminal. The case casts a spotlight on the controversial use of family separation in U.S. immigration enforcement and the immense pressure it places on individuals navigating the system.

In a statement to the South China Morning Post, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said, “We are happy to report we were able to remove the family back to their home country on December 17, 2025.”