Kashmiri filmmaker Arfat Sheikh, detained by US ICE on September 24 at Washington Dulles Airport upon arrival from California, has been released on bond, his supporters announced. Sheikh, whose films address conflict in India-administered Kashmir, faced ongoing deportation proceedings after his arrest, according to a statement from friends and relatives.
Sheikh’s bond was granted on Tuesday, and he was released on Thursday. However, the deportation case against him continues. Sheikh had entered the US in 2019 on a student visa to pursue graduate studies in film at Georgia State University and filed for asylum in 2020.
The Department of Homeland Security said Sheikh “legally entered the US on a temporary basis and illegally overstayed his lawful admittance.” A pending application does not confer legal status in the US, and Sheikh will receive due process, the department added.
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Sheikh’s detention is part of a broader context of US immigration policy, particularly the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration. In August, the administration announced it was working to identify and revoke non-immigrant visas of foreigners who claim to be short-term visitors but then file for asylum to stay permanently.
Sheikh’s filmmaking career has explored conflict in his native India-administered Kashmir. His first feature film, “Saffron Kingdom,” won several awards, including Best Feature Film at the Chicago Filmmakers Awards and the LA Film and Documentary Awards. The film tells the story of a family from Srinagar in India-administered Kashmir in the 1990s to Atlanta in 2019.
