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Chinese influencer alleges 2-day detention at Changi Airport, ICA says foreigner entry 'not a right'
No fees were imposed on the influencer, ICA said.
Constance Tan
February 15, 2026, 09:50 AM
A Chinese woman, who recently travelled to Singapore, alleged that she was stopped at the airport upon her arrival and detained for two days.
In a video uploaded to Douyin, the influencer claimed that she was asked to pay over S$500 before being released and deported back to China.
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In response, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said it does not impose any fees on travellers who have been refused entry.
Detention
The woman, who goes by the handle "Chen Xixi" (transliterated) on Douyin, detailed her experience in a nearly nine-minute clip.
She said she was in Singapore for the first time to visit her sister, who works as a teacher here.
According to Chen, she was stopped while passing through immigration and pulled aside to a room, where she was asked about her travel plans.
An officer also asked to view her messages and bank details on her mobile phone, she claimed.
Following that, Chen said she was brought to a waiting area containing three rooms, one of which she was asked to enter to take headshots and provide her fingerprints.
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Chen claimed that she was, without an explanation, then transferred to a separate detention centre, where her bags and mobile phone were seized.
She was also apparently made to sign a letter of agreement, drafted only in English, she claimed, for the surrender of her phone.
Communicated with in English
Chen claimed she was spoken to in English, a language she could not fully comprehend, but she said she obliged out of fear of being deported.
She added that the rooms were filled with travellers of various nationalities, including a number of Chinese nationals, one of whom took photos of the detention centre.
There, she was handed a pillow, blanket and a pair of slippers and brought into a UV-lit room, where she was allegedly made to stay for the night.
Occupants were given three meals a day, but meal times and opportunities to use their mobile phones were regulated, she said.
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She added that meals were handed out first to "lighter-skinned" people, who allegedly also received a more food choices.
Chen then claimed that officers in the centre were selective in what they chose to communicate, and said they only spoke in English, unless they were scolding her.
Deportation
Chen was asked to leave Singapore at 3pm the following day.
She claimed that she was asked for about S$500 as payment for her stay by the officers who brought her to the plane, though a proof of receipt was not provided.
She was only released and allowed to board the plane when she denied having any money, a tip she said she learnt from users of Xiaohongshu, a social media platform.
Chen emphasised at the end of the video that her conscience was clear and she did not commit any wrongdoing.
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She again urged her followers to "exercise independent thinking to determine right from wrong".
ICA says entry not a right
In response to queries by Mothership, ICA said it was aware of the video by Chen.
Records showed that she arrived in Singapore on Jan. 31 and was referred by ICA officers for further checks during immigration clearance, including an interview and search of her belongings.
Such checks are "typical for travellers subject to additional checks at our checkpoints", ICA said, adding that the interviews were conducted in Mandarin, a language she understood.
However, Chen was unable to provide a clear itinerary for her visit to Singapore and did not have an onward air ticket.
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She was evasive when probed on her claims that she was visiting her sister in Singapore, said ICA.
When her phone was checked, officers found messages of her being coached to address questions that may be posed by immigration officers.
She was then refused entry into Singapore.
ICA confirmed that Chen was brought to a holding room pending her return flight the next day on Feb. 1, where she was provided with meals and shower facilities.
The meals provided were also said to be the same as those given to all the other travellers in the holding room.
There was also no fee imposed on Chen, or any traveller who had been refused entry, said ICA.
"A foreigner’s entry into Singapore is neither a right nor automatic," ICA emphasised: "Each visitor's entry is considered on its own merits."
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"Visitors must fulfil our entry requirements and may be subjected to interviews and additional checks before they are granted entry."
ICA added that reports were lodged with the police on the unauthorised photo and video taken within ICA's premises, which is an offence under the Infrastructure Protection Act.
Top images via Chen's Douyin
