Wouldn't any thinking citizen immediately turn to a three-letter agency when this happens? The only way to get in worse trouble than whatever they fear from the blackmail would be to act as an agent of China/Russia.
You’d like to think, but an immigrant or first-gen citizen might not trust the TLA agency very much, especially if the first letter is F. High-profile houndings scare off tipsters. Then you try to assess whether the TLA will actually help your relative back home or only get them killed.