A Chicago man has sounded the alarm after his roommate was arrested at an immigration court hearing which followed up with his pending political asylum case.
Chao Zhou, a Chinese national, attended a hearing for a political asylum case he had applied for, after which he was arrested on Thursday.
"I texted him, 'Hey, just in case something happens, send me your wife's number,'" Liam Kincaid, Zhou's roommate, told Block Club Chicago. "He said, 'Thanks, buddy, but it's very peaceful here.'"
Zhou, 31, attended the University of Washington, achieving a master's degree on a student visa in 2021, after which he applied for a political asylum case. He had participated in pro-democracy protests advocating for the independence of Hong Kong from China.
On the Saturday following Zhou's arrest, Kincaid marched with a sign reading "ICE KIDNAPPED MY ROOMMATE #FREECHAO." He posted a description of the incident to Instagram, where the post was liked over 26,000 times.
Kincaid, who has been working tirelessly to locate Zhou, saw that his roommate was moved to Campbell County Detention Center in Newport, Kentucky using an online ICE portal. Zhou was able to call Kincaid from the Detention Center.
The portal later indicated that Zhou had been moved to Bourbon County Detention Center in Paris, Kentucky.
"He is a man of few words, so keep that in mind, but I asked him how he was, and his answer was, 'I'm in prison,'" Kincaid said.
According to Kincaid, Zhou's safety is not guaranteed should he be sent back to China.
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