WASHINGTON, Oct 7: Indian origin filmmaker Arafat Sheikh has been detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after arriving at Dulles International Airport, according to an advocacy campaign calling for his release.
The campaign, Free Arafat Sheikh, said Sheikh, who lives in Alexandria, Virginia, was taken into custody on September 24 shortly after getting off his flight.
According to the campaign, Sheikh is in the United States on a student visa and is studying film at Georgia State University. It also said he has a pending immigration application.
The online campaign alleged that Sheikh was detained despite showing immigration documents to ICE officers at the airport.
ICE is responsible for enforcing federal immigration laws and has the authority to detain non-citizens in cases involving alleged immigration violations or while their immigration status and applications are being examined.
The circumstances surrounding Sheikh’s detention and the status of his immigration case were not independently confirmed.