Kong Xiong Wang, who has run the Chinese restaurant “Kam Fung” in upstate New York for 25 years, was recently detained by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and is currently detained in a detention center. The case has aroused local public opinion on immigration policies and the fate of overseas Chinese.
Kong Xiong Wang was sentenced to deportation to China in 1994 because he was accused of holding forged documents when he entered Miami International Airport at the age of 18 in 1993. Although the immigration court ruled to deport him, he changed his name to Roger Huang in the following decades and moved to Owego, a small town in upstate New York. He opened a Chinese restaurant and settled down there with his family and worked hard. The restaurant has been loved by local residents for 25 years. Customers commented that its family atmosphere and food “make Owego happy.”
Kong Xiong Wang is in charge of the kitchen of Kam Fung Restaurant on a daily basis, while his wife is in charge of the front desk. His two daughters grew up in the restaurant and later successfully entered college. Over the years, this Chinese family, like many immigrant restaurant owners in small American towns, has injected vitality into the local economy and society.
But after President Trump took office, the nationwide sweep against “undocumented immigrants” expanded, and Huang Gangxiong became a “target.” In response to media inquiries, ICE said that Huang’s case had gone through all legal procedures, and the last appeal in 2019 was rejected, and there is no room for legal relief. ICE said that Huang Gangxiong did not voluntarily leave the country for 30 years and was finally arrested on June 16 this year.
The federal government did not disclose the details of Huang’s documents that were alleged to be “forged” at the time. ICE said that for those who do not hold legal status, 1,000 yuan in cash and free air tickets are now provided for voluntary departure, otherwise they will not be able to re-enter the United States once they are arrested.
Huang Gangxiong’s case is not the only case recently. In mid-June, Jian Hao Zhang, the owner of China Moon Restaurant in upstate New York, was also arrested for holding a fake visa 30 years ago and is now detained in the same detention center as Huang.
Jinfeng Restaurant is still open for business. Huang’s relatives and friends are unwilling to be interviewed, and only privately raise funds to hire lawyers to help. Adam Weitsman, a well-known local entrepreneur who helped the Huang family open the Jinfeng Restaurant, said that he was helping as a friend and would do his best to support them regardless of their political stance. In order to support this Chinese family, locals wrote on a mural in the center of Owego: “We are glad you are here.”
