A Chinese man who has been living in the United States for 17 years faces deportation after he was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on the day he had his green card interview.

The undocumented man, surnamed Zhu, 58, has been in ICE custody since he was arrested after he had his green card interview at a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Manhattan, New York, during the Lunar New Year, said Chen Shanzhuang, Chairman of Brooklyn Asian Communities Empowerment (BACE), in an interview with Xinhua.

Zhu's wife, who has asked BACE to help keep their family united, said her husband had been working in a local restaurant as an undocumented immigrant since he came to New York 17 years ago, and he had no criminal record. The couple has two daughters who are all U.S. citizens.

Zhu's case is not exceptional as President Donald Trump's administration has started crackdown on undocumented immigrants, Chen said.

Yet it would be inhumane if the man is deported as he has made his due contribution to the society through all these years of hard work, he added.

The community leader said they have sent SOS letters to their legislators at the state and federal level and BACE will hold a rally to be joined by local community and elected officials on April 26 in front of the Town Hall of New York to bring public attention to the ordeals those undocumented immigrants are experiencing.