Amos Yee: "You Shouldn't Let Me Back Into SG"; Netizens: "We Also Don't Want You Back"

It's been more than a decade since Amos Yee, then just 16 years old, first gained notoriety for his content on free speech and religion in Singapore, which ultimately led to his arrests back then.

Now 27, Amos, is currently held in custody by the US Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE), just after his release from prison in the US where he had been serving time for possession of child pornography and sexual grooming. 

Amos is expected to sign deportation papers on February 12, 2026.

But Amos has other plans. Posting a letter on his website addressing Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, he said: "You shouldn't let me back into Singapore."

Being deported back to Singapore would mean he has to face more jail time here for defaulting National Service. Amos fled Singapore to avoid National Service in December 2016, and remained outside the country without a valid Exit Permit.

"The only way that can be prevented is, if Singapore government refuse to issue travel documents for me to return," Amos wrote.

“You think I'm just going to quietly accept my punishment & agree to serve in the military? Hah! I'm going to continue to swerve the military. There will be numerous court dates, me coming in & out of prison, each time I'll maybe write a blog post here, make a video there, condemning the military, condemning the government. All the attentions & negative press you & I will receive, it'll be amazing,” he added.

While his true intentions for not wanting to return to Singapore are debatable, netizens' sentiments are largely the same. 

“We also don’t want you back,” one netizen summed it up on a Reddit discussion thread. 

Another commented: “The US doesn’t even want that piece of trash anymore.”

Many others dismissed it as a scare tactic or a sign he was afraid to return.

One netizen pointed out: “Posting online won’t topple governments.” This was in response to Amos' letter, where he declared: “Call me naïve, but I think if I really put my mind to it, I can topple Singapore 60 years dictatorship.”

One netizen surmised how public sentiment towards him might have changed in the past 10 years: "When he was first arrested, he got some public sympathy and attention mainly because he was a 16 year-old boy. Now he is a 26 year-old convicted pedophile. Not only will he not get any public sympathy when he is arrested again but many of people including his previous supporters will be cheering."

However, one netizen gave a different take, writing that it is more prudent that he be deported back to Singapore to be closely monitored.