Kashmiri filmmaker and GSU alum unlawfully detained one year after debuting ‘Saffron Kingdom’

Former Atlanta resident and Georgia State University student Arfat Sheikh is in ICE custody after being detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at Washington Dulles International Airport on September 24. Sheikh, a Kashmiri filmmaker and activist, moved to Atlanta in 2019 to study film at Georgia State University.

Supporters of Sheikh have since called for his immediate release from the Caroline Detention Facility in Bowling Green, Virginia, where he is being held.

According to the “Free Arfat Sheikh” advocacy campaign, the 42-year-old artist arrived in the United States on a student visa in 2019, then filed for asylum the following year. Sheikh, who had been living in Alexandria, Virginia, has a pending immigration application and is here legally, authorized to both live and work in the country.

Sheikh was scheduled to appear for procedural and bond hearings on Tuesday. 

The arrest comes as the Trump administration has ramped up immigration crackdowns across the U.S. — and its use of detention against pending cases, like Sheikh’s.

According to a witness statement provided by the “Free Arfat Sheikh” campaign, filmmaker Tara Dorabji, who was traveling from San Francisco with Sheikh to an “Art as Resistance” event at D.C.’s Busboys and Poets, said two non-uniformed men in plain clothes arrested her colleague. During the entire interaction, she said, she does not recall any of the men presenting a warrant.

285 South has reached out to ICE for comment, but as of publication, had not received a response.

“[Arfat] came to the United States legally as a film student to share about the human rights atrocities in Kashmir,” said Tara. “It is devastating that someone who spent years bringing stories of human rights violations in war-torn regions to international audiences is in ICE detention, facing the conditions Arfat has dedicated his life to end.”

In 2025, 285 South covered the debut of Sheikh’s award-winning “Saffron Kingdom” at GSU’s Dahlberg Hall Theatre. The film, which was shot at various locations around the metro Atlanta, chronicles the story of a Kashmiri American family and their migration from Kashmir’s capital of Srinagar to Atlanta. Fearful of repercussions from the Indian government, Sheikh was unable to find willing Kashmiri actors for his film; the Indian government has a history of restricting people from returning to their homeland if they’re involved in activities the government perceives as anti-India or politically sensitive. 

China, India and Pakistan have controlled parts of Kashmir since the mountainous region gained independence from British rule in 1947, with India recording the most human rights violations against Kashmiris. Though the United Nations had called for a plebiscite in Kashmir in 1948, giving Kashmiris the right to determine their own future after partition, this promise was never honored. Nearly eight decades later, both India and Pakistan continue to claim the region for themselves, and longstanding tensions between the two nations have led to violent crackdowns, attacks on press freedom, and human rights abuses.

“Saffron Kingdom,” received multiple awards at several independent film festivals, and Sheikh was named an Emerging Filmmaker Activist at the Teaneck International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2025.

In addition to calling for his immediate release, the “Free Arfat Sheikh” campaign is trying to raise funds for Sheikh’s legal defense. As of Wednesday, Oct. 7, supporters have collected nearly $23,000 for the artist-activist.

285 South has reached out to ICE; GSU’s School of Film, Media & Theatre; and the Free Arfat Sheikh campaign. We will update our story accordingly.