ISTANBUL

A Chinese national who was detained in New York and separated from his six-year-old son for several weeks has been deported to China together with the child, an advocate said.

Fei Zheng and his son, Yuanxin, arrived in China late Friday, according to Jennie Spector, a community activist who worked closely with Zheng throughout his detention.

Spector said she confirmed the father and son’s arrival with a friend of Zheng in China, noting that she had remained in contact with Zheng both before and during his time in custody, NBC News reported.

Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told The New York Times in an email that “ICE does not separate families,” adding that parents are given the option to be removed with their children or have them placed with a designated caregiver. She said Zheng and his son “were given a lawful order of removal as a family unit.”

“Mr. Zheng refused to board the plane and was acting so disruptive and aggressive that he endangered the child’s wellbeing,” McLaughlin said, adding that refusing a judge’s deportation order is a crime.

Spector, however, said Zheng ultimately agreed to comply with the deportation order to be reunited with his son, calling the outcome “very sad” and saying the pair were unfairly treated as criminals.

“We are happy to report we were able to remove the family back to their home country,” McLaughlin added in the email.

Spector earlier told NBC News that Zheng and his son were taken into custody during a routine check-in at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) offices in New York City on Nov. 26.

She said it marked Zheng’s third detention since he crossed into the US from the Mexican border with his son in April, noting that he had voiced fears about returning to China. She did not elaborate on the nature of those concerns.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, Zheng was held in immigration detention at the Orange County Correctional Facility, while his son was transferred to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which oversees the care of unaccompanied immigrant children.

The case sparked outrage among community activists, who criticized the Trump administration’s immigration policies for separating the father and son, saying the child had only recently begun first grade at a public school.

More than 200 people, including members of the boy’s school community, joined an anti-ICE protest in Astoria, Queens, earlier this month, organizers said, adding that the family had no other relatives in New York.