US immigration authorities have detained award-winning Kashmiri filmmaker Arfat Sheikh after he arrived at Dulles International Airport in Virginia, according to an advocacy campaign supporting his release.
The Support Arfat Sheikh’s Release campaign said Sheikh was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Sept. 24 after getting off a flight at Dulles Airport.
Sheikh, 42, lives in Alexandria, Virginia. His friend Azad Essa said the filmmaker initially entered the US on a student visa to study film at Georgia State University and applied for asylum in 2020.
Essa said Sheikh currently has valid employment and residency authorization linked to a pending immigration case.
The filmmaker is being held at the Caroline Detention Center in Bowling Green, Virginia. According to The Independent, he is expected to appear before an immigration judge Tuesday for a procedural hearing and bond review.
Neither ICE nor the US Department of Homeland Security has publicly commented on the detention.
Sheikh is internationally known for his debut feature, Saffron Kingdom, which was shown in more than 100 cinemas and made available for streaming in 175 countries.
The film earned several awards, including Best Feature Film at the Anatolian International Film Awards, the Chicago Filmmakers Award and the Los Angeles Film and Documentary Awards. It also received an Emerging Filmmaker distinction at the Teaneck International Film Festival.
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