A Chinese whistleblower currently being held in the Broome County Jail after being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was denied bail.
Members of the community gathered outside of the Broome County Jail on Dec. 31 to continue protesting the detention of Guan Heng, a Chinese man who immigrated to the U.S. in 2021 to seek asylum after allegedly documenting human rights violations carried out by the Chinese government.
This protest and the detention of Heng comes months after the Broome County Sheriff's Office first announced its participation in the warrant service officer portion of ICE's 287(g) program on March 21, 2025.
The program, according to ICE, authorizes state and local law enforcement to perform "specified immigration officer functions" including executing administrative warrants within the jail. Officers are not able to serve warrants outside of the jail and do not participate in any other portion of the 287(g) program.
As of Dec. 31, Justice and Unity for the Southern Tier President Andrew J. Pragacz said he believes there are anywhere between 50 and 60 people within the Broome County Jail who have been detained by ICE.
While people gathered in a lot near the jail, Heng appeared with his attorney, Chungchuang Chen, on a Webex call with Ulster County Judge Charles M. Ouslander for a bail hearing.
Despite three attempts to set bail for Heng, Ouslander denied Chen's request during the Dec. 31 hearing. Heng will remain in custody until the...
Policy address full of ''false claims''; has no credibility: LoP Satheesan Thiruvananthapuram, Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan on Tuesday strongly criticised the Left government's policy add...