The FBI Newark and the FBI New York Field Offices are warning travelers they may be detained entering or leaving the People’s Republic of China, after the PRC recently began enforcing local laws which include exit bans and wrongful detention. The FBI has posted messages at both Newark Liberty International Airport and JFK International Airport directing anyone who was detained or not allowed to depart China, to contact the FBI.
The U.S. Department of State has posted on its website a travel advisory for China, stating U.S. citizens traveling or residing in the PRC may be detained without access to U.S. consular services or information about their alleged crime. U.S. citizens in the PRC may be subjected to interrogations and detention without fair and transparent treatment under the law. Foreigners in the PRC, including but not limited to business people, former foreign-government personnel, academics, relatives of PRC citizens involved in legal disputes, and journalists have been interrogated and detained by PRC officials for alleged violations of PRC national security laws. The PRC has also interrogated, detained, and expelled U.S. citizens living and working in the PRC.
If you felt intimidated, threatened, or coerced in any way by the PRC government, the FBI will protect you and wants to ensure your safety. Please contact FBI Newark or FBI New York by calling 800-CALL-FBI, e-mail us at travelsafe@fbi.gov.
