Kashmiri filmmaker Arfat Sheikh released from ICE custody on bond

Arfat Sheikh has been released from a U.S. immigration detention centre, but his deportation case is continuing. His next hearing is set for October 27, his friends-and-family campaign said.

The 42-year-old filmmaker was detained on September 24 as he stepped off a flight from California at Dulles International Airport near Washington. Supporters said a judge granted bond on Tuesday and Sheikh was released on Thursday.

Sheikh entered the United States in 2019 on a student visa to study film at Georgia State University and applied for asylum in 2020. His campaign says the application remains pending and that he is authorised to live and work in the country. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the detention, saying he entered temporarily and overstayed his permitted stay. The agency said a pending application does not confer legal status and that he would receive due process.

His debut feature, Saffron Kingdom, won awards at several festivals, and Sheikh received an emerging filmmaker activist award at the Teaneck International Film Festival in 2025. His release came amid an increase in ICE arrests. The article cited about 50,000 arrests in July and August. The campaign said Sheikh’s immigration proceedings remain open.