Wu Shaoping Walks Out of Immigration Detention Center, Ankle Monitor Still Tracking His Movements

Chinese Human Rights Lawyer Wu Shaoping Walks Out of Immigration Detention Center, Still Tracked by Ankle Monitor

Chinese human rights lawyer Wu Shaoping has been released from an immigration detention center and returned home, but he is still required to wear an electronic ankle monitor and be tracked by immigration authorities. Wu has been seeking political asylum in the United States for six years, but his immigration case has yet to be resolved. His lawyers warn that if he is deported back to China, he may face political persecution again.

Wu Shaoping is back in his home in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, but every time he leaves his residence, he must wear the electronic ankle monitor installed by U.S. immigration enforcement. The 48-year-old Chinese human rights lawyer calls it an "electronic shackle."

On July 29, he was interviewed by local public media WITF outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in York County. His release has not allowed him to resume his life before detention. The monitoring device is fixed to his ankle, and he needs permission to leave Pennsylvania. He is also concerned that others will mistake him for a criminal because of the device. (WITF)

Just nine days ago, he was still being held at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center.

On July 15, Wu Shaoping was stopped by police while delivering an Amazon package in Cumberland County. His lawyer said that he showed the police his pending political asylum application and work permit, and the police then notified immigration enforcement, who took him to the detention center. The human rights organization "Lawyers for Lawyers" confirmed that he was later released on $1,500 bail, but his immigration case is still ongoing.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security told the media that Wu Shaoping had overstayed his tourist visa and was therefore subject to immigration enforcement procedures. Wu's lawyer argued that he had applied for asylum before his visa expired and was allowed to work while waiting for the application to be processed. The dispute will be handled through the immigration process.

These legal issues can be summarized in documents as visa terms, asylum applications, and work permits. For Wu Shaoping, they are a matter of whether he may be sent back to a country that once forced him to flee.

Wu Shaoping used to practice business law in Shanghai. After the "709 crackdown" on lawyers, he gradually became involved in human rights cases, providing legal assistance to those persecuted for political and religious reasons. In 2019, he left China and entered the United States, and in 2020, he applied for political asylum, which is still pending.

In the United States, he did not continue to practice law, but instead supported his family by delivering packages. He was doing this ordinary job when he was arrested.

Wu Shaoping has no criminal record. He said in an interview that he does not intend to flee, and his wife and children live in the United States. However, the electronic monitoring has turned his release into a conditional freedom: he can go home, but he cannot escape the continuous tracking by immigration authorities; he can continue to wait for the asylum decision, but he does not know whether the wait will ultimately lead to legal residence or deportation.

The lawyer group is concerned about Wu Shaoping's case because the United States is handling not just an ordinary case of overstaying a visa. His past representation of human rights cases, his connection to Chinese civil society, and his public activities will all affect the risk assessment of his deportation. "Lawyers for Lawyers" demands that the United States follow the principle of non-refoulement and not send him back to China until it is confirmed that he will not face political imprisonment, torture, or other serious persecution.

Currently, there is no evidence that the Chinese government has requested the United States to detain Wu Shaoping. The detention and electronic monitoring were implemented by U.S. immigration enforcement agencies, and the case should be viewed within the framework of U.S. immigration law.

However, the ankle monitor on Wu Shaoping's foot has exposed a flaw in the asylum system: applicants may have been living in the United States for many years, have families, jobs, and work permits, but they may still suddenly lose their freedom after a routine traffic stop because their applications have not been processed.

The door to the detention center was opened for Wu Shaoping on July

1. Whether he can truly get rid of the device he calls an "electronic shackle" depends on the outcome of an asylum procedure that has been ongoing for six years and still has no answer.