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Dixuan (Kai) Li has been detained since May 20, 2026. Her family is seeking her release.Take action
K.JUSTICE FOR KAIA FAMILY. A FIGHT FOR DIGNITY.Help Kai's family
A REAL FAMILY. A FIGHT FOR JUSTICE.

We were building a life together.
Then ICE took my wife.

On May 20, 2026, Dixuan (Kai) Li was detained outside our home in Arlington, Texas. Months later, she is still separated from the people who love her.

I'm Nathaniel, her husband. This is our story, and an invitation to stand for something bigger than us.

Take action now
Or donate to support Kai's family
Family-reported case information · Independent reporting linked below
Dixuan (Kai) Li and Nathaniel Clemetson together on steps
BEFORE MAY 20, 2026Kai & Nathaniel
STILL HERE. STILL FIGHTING. STILL BELIEVING.
#JUSTICEFORKAIFAIRNESS · FAMILY · DIGNITYARLINGTON, TEXAS
…
LIVE COUNTdays separatedSince May 20, 2026
WHERE THINGS STANDA removal order is under appeal.

The family continues to seek release while Kai's immigration proceedings remain active.

Read the status update
Kai and Nathaniel sharing an affectionate momentKai and Nathaniel smiling together, with Kai waving at the cameraLIFE BEFORE DETENTION · REAL MOMENTS, REAL PEOPLE
01 / THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE CASE

Before she was a case number, she was simply Kai.

She's a wife, daughter, friend, and woman of faith. We had dreams for our marriage, our home, and our future. Her detention interrupted all of it.

Kai's mother, Zhang Mei, led underground Christian house churches in China and was later granted asylum in the United States. Kai says she was targeted as a child because of her family's faith. Returning to China is something she deeply fears.

02 / WHAT HAS HAPPENED

Five moments that
changed everything.

A condensed timeline for new visitors. This is a family account, and legal filings remain the source of truth for exact procedural details.

  1. 01FEB 16, 2026

    A life together

    Nathaniel and Dixuan (Kai) Li marry, beginning the next chapter of the life they are building together.

  2. 02MAY 20, 2026

    Kai is detained

    Immigration agents detain Kai outside the couple's Arlington home as they leave together.

  3. 03JUN 01, 2026

    Release on bond denied

    A bond request is denied despite letters and affidavits from community members speaking to her ties and character.

  4. 04JUL 28, 2026

    Removal ordered

    An immigration judge orders removal to China. The family continues seeking protection and review.

  5. 05AUG 2026

    Appeal filed

    The family reports a Board of Immigration Appeals appeal was filed. The legal and custody fight continues.

The appeal filing date and procedural posture should be verified against the latest court record before further public detail is added.View July 31 archival case report
03 / WHY RETURNING TO CHINA IS FEARED

For Kai, deportation could mean returning to persecution.

This fight isn't only about separation from her husband. Kai and her family fear she could again be targeted because of her Christian faith and her mother's leadership in China's underground church movement.

The incidents below are drawn from Kai's and her family's accounts, as reported by the Texas Tribune and ChinaAid. They are not presented as findings that resolve her ongoing immigration appeal.

01 / HER CHILDHOOD

Targeted for her family's faith.

Kai has described being beaten and dragged by her hair down stairs by students after a teacher targeted her for being a Christian minister's daughter.

02 / HER MOTHER

Zhang Mei was granted asylum.

After decades of involvement in house-church ministry in Yueyang, Hunan, Kai's mother fled China, sought protection in the United States, and won her asylum case.

03 / ONGOING THREATS

The pressure followed the family.

ChinaAid reported alleged calls from Chinese authorities asking when Zhang Mei and Kai would return, as well as July 2026 police raids on house churches in Yueyang.

Texas Tribune reporting ChinaAid investigation
04 / TURN COMPASSION INTO ACTION

Her story is personal.
The issue is bigger.

The Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act is proposed federal legislation that would strengthen oversight, limit detention, and protect families. Congress has not passed it. You can ask your representatives to support it.

YOUR VOICE CAN GO DIRECTLY TO CONGRESSLearn about the Act & take action Our guide explains the bill, then links to the ACLU's prewritten congressional message.
05 / WAYS TO STAND WITH KAI

There is more than
one way to help.

Donate to Kai's legal battle, use the ACLU's message to urge Congress to act, or share her story with someone who can help. Every form of support matters.

01

Ask Congress to act.

Use the ACLU's prepared message to urge your House member and senators to support detention reform.

Take civic action
02

Help Kai's family.

Donations through the family's GoFundMe support legal and family-related costs during this fight.

Donate on GoFundMe
03

Make the story travel.

Share this page with your friends, church, community, journalists, and people who can amplify the case.

06 / CASE STATUS

The fight
continues.

The old August 27 appeal deadline has passed. The family reports that an appeal was filed in August, and Kai remains detained while her family pursues legal and humanitarian avenues for release.

Status summary reviewed October 26, 2026. This is not a live court docket. Allegations and procedural concerns are attributed to the family unless independently verified.

CASE SNAPSHOT ONGOING
Detention beganMay 20, 2026
Removal orderJuly 28, 2026
BIA appealFiled August 2026
Family's immediate goalRelease and reunification
Need source documents or have a legal/media lead? Reach Nathaniel through @delusionalpath.
07 / COVERAGE OF KAI'S CASE

The story is
on the record.

Two outside organizations have reported on different sides of Kai's situation: the detention in Texas and the danger her family fears in China.

TEXAS TRIBUNE · SEPTEMBER 22, 2026

Five Texans' stories of detention, family separation, and uncertainty.

The Tribune interviewed Kai about her detention, her fear of deportation, and her mother's successful U.S. asylum case.

Read the Texas Tribune story
CHINAAID · JULY 14, 2026

China church raids and alleged harassment of a Texas family.

ChinaAid documented reports of threats to Zhang Mei, official inquiries about returning to China, and raids on house churches connected to her ministry in Yueyang.

Read the ChinaAid report
Friends and community supporting KaiKai and Nathaniel together over a meal
ONE FAMILY. MANY VOICES.

Help us turn
attention into action.

Tell Congress Donate to Kai's family