Wu Shaoping, a Chinese human rights lawyer who sought refuge in the United States, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers this past Wednesday. The arrest occurred in the Mount Holly Springs borough of Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, while Wu was working as an Amazon courier. His detention has triggered significant concern among activists and supporters who fear he could be deported to China, where he would likely face persecution.
Wu initially fled China at the end of 2019 during a period of intense government pressure on human rights lawyers. After entering the US on a tourist visa in 2020, he filed for asylum and has been awaiting a final decision on his case ever since. According to Shi Minglei, a friend who spoke with Wu while he was in custody, ICE officers requested proof of citizenship during the stop. Although Wu presented documentation regarding his pending asylum application and explained his legal entry into the country, agents proceeded with the arrest and transported him to a Pennsylvania detention facility.
Neither the Department of Homeland Security nor the detention facility provided an immediate response to requests for comment outside of standard business hours. Wu’s immigration hearing is currently scheduled for July 27.
Wu’s legal career began in commercial law, but he later shifted his focus to representing religious minorities and political dissidents. His activism intensified during the 2010s as he aligned with a network of scholars and lawyers seeking legal and political reform. In December 2019, he attended a human rights meeting in Xiamen, an event that preceded a widespread crackdown where several prominent attendees, including lawyers Ding Jiaxi and Xu Zhiyong, were arrested and subsequently imprisoned for subversion of state power.
Reflecting on his mission earlier this month during an event commemorating the 2015 crackdown on human rights lawyers, Wu stated that his work was an "unavoidable mission and responsibility" rather than a performative act. His wife, Li Caoliu, who resides with him in the US, noted that Wu consistently advocated for freedom and democracy in China. Zhou Fengsuo, a prominent figure from the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, warned that the arrest creates deep fear for those who sought US protection from the Chinese Communist party. Meanwhile, international human rights groups are also monitoring the case of Bai Zhaodong, a Chinese investigative journalist currently detained in Thailand amid an extradition request from Beijing.
