Kashmiri filmmaker and storyteller Arfat Sheikh, who has lived in the United States since 2019, was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at Washington Dulles International Airport on September 24, according to an advocacy campaign seeking his release.
Sheikh, 42, was travelling with award-winning author and filmmaker Tara Dorabji to attend an “Art as Resistance” panel at Busboys and Poets in Washington, DC, when he was allegedly surrounded and arrested by multiple ICE agents after stepping off a flight at Dulles.
The Free Arfat Sheikh Campaign alleged that Sheikh was arrested without a warrant despite presenting his immigration documents, Maktoobmedia reported.
According to the campaign, Sheikh entered the US legally on a student visa in 2019 to pursue graduate studies in film at Georgia State University. He later filed for asylum in 2020 and has a pending immigration application.
The campaign said Sheikh is authorised to live and work in the US and currently resides in Alexandria, Virginia.
Sheikh is a Kashmiri-born filmmaker, writer, producer whose work focuses on identity, displacement, resilience, human rights and communities affected by conflict.
His debut feature film, Saffron Kingdom, explores Kashmir and the experiences of families affected by decades of conflict and persecution.
The film has won several awards, including Best Feature Film at the Chicago Filmmakers Awards, LA Film and Documentary Awards, Melbourne Independent Film Festival, Wake Forest Film Festival and Anatolian International Film Awards.
(With inputs from PTI)