Indian Filmmaker Arfat Sheikh Detained By ICE Agents At US Airport "Without Warrant"

Indian filmmaker Arfat Sheikh has been detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents while travelling to Washington. The award-winning director of Saffron Kingdom was detained at Washington Dulles Airport on September 24 without a warrant by ICE agents, an advocacy campaign seeking his release said.

Sheikh, 42, lives in Alexandria, Virginia, and was travelling to Washington with award-winning author and filmmaker Tara Dorabji to take part in an event on art and resistance when he was taken into immigration custody.

"On September 24th, 2026, our friend and filmmaker, Arfat Sheikh, was unlawfully detained by ICE coming off a plane at Dulles Airport (IAD)," the 'Support Arfat Sheikh's Release' campaign said.

The campaign -- launched online by "a community of friends, colleagues, Americans, and family united to bring Arfat Sheikh home" -- claimed 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.

It also released a video of Sheikh being detained by ICE agents at Dulles Airport. The campaign is seeking to raise $50,000 to pay for his legal representation.

Video of Sheikh being detained by ICE agents at Dulles Airport ⬇️ (2/5) https://t.co/ni8dHzzmJG

— Free Arfat Sheikh (@freearfatsheikh) October 6, 2026

According to a report by The Independent, Sheikh had just stepped off his flight when he was surrounded and detained, "even as he presented his immigration paperwork". He is reportedly being held at the Caroline Detention Facility in Virginia and is due to appear before an immigration judge for a procedural hearing on Tuesday.

His co-traveller, Dorabji, in a statement, described the events surrounding Sheikh's detention. "As I got off the plane, I walked by Arfat, without realising that he had been pulled aside on the jetway. Arfat called out to me, and I turned around. He was surrounded by numerous men."

"Arfat said to me, "Tara, Tara. This is ICE. They have come for me." The men were in plain clothes and not wearing any uniforms that indicated that they were federal agents. During the entire interaction, I never saw any of the men present a warrant or say why they were taking Arfat. They took Arfat Sheikh off the jetway onto the tarmac. He did not resist," she added.

ICE, the US agency responsible for enforcing federal immigration laws, can detain non-citizens over suspected immigration violations or while their immigration status or applications are being reviewed.