45 years after the Secret War brought thousands of Hmong and Laos refugees to the United States, the Trump administration wants to deport thousands of Hmong immigrants, including many refugees, because of years-old criminal convictions or those who are currently on the deportation orders.
The Trump Administration officials have been working behind the scenes to pressure the Laos government to accept the Hmong and Lao immigrants who have committed crimes with criminal convictions that have been ordered removed from the U.S. by the immigration judges. Though the U.S. government officials and the Laos side are not making any public statement or talking publicly, it was confirmed by federal State Department officials on Monday, According to Minnesota Public Radio and first made headlines last week after Rep. Betty McCollum wrote a letter to the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to express her opposition on behalf of her constituents.
What's at stake? If and when the Laos government agrees to sign the agreement, it means many former refugees who came to the United States legally as refugees after the Secret War; who have committed crimes and on the deportation order list are facing imminent deportation back to Laos, a country some has never visited, many also were born in the refugee camps in Thailand.
According to NBC News dated Oct. 29, 2019, by Kimmy Yam, "in 2002, the two countries struck an agreement in which Cambodia consented to take in a limited number of deportees. The agreement prompted backlash and protests from the Cambodian American community, who raised humanitarian concerns around the deportations since a significant portion of those at risk came to the U.S. as refugees. The Cambodian government ended up halting the issuing of travel documents for deportation in August 2017
Similarly, the government of Vietnam also have signed an agreement with the U.S. agreed to take back people who came to the U.S. after 1995 but not those that came to the U.S. before 1995. However, according to an article published by NPR on March 4, 2019, the Trump administration wants to expand on that agreement to be able to deport Vietnamese immigrants who came here before 1995 and have committed a crime.
It's unclear how the Trump administration plans to implement such a harsh policy toward one of their most royal allies, the Hmong. No doubt that many organizations and supporters of the Hmong will protest such a hardline approach. Nevertheless, when it becomes reality, Hmong and Lao immigrants who are falling into the category(ies) described above will face the real possibility of being deported to Laos.
The Trump Administration officials have been working behind the scenes to pressure the Laos government to accept the Hmong and Lao immigrants who have committed crimes with criminal convictions that have been ordered removed from the U.S. by the immigration judges. Though the U.S. government officials and the Laos side are not making any public statement or talking publicly, it was confirmed by federal State Department officials on Monday, According to Minnesota Public Radio and first made headlines last week after Rep. Betty McCollum wrote a letter to the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to express her opposition on behalf of her constituents.
What's at stake? If and when the Laos government agrees to sign the agreement, it means many former refugees who came to the United States legally as refugees after the Secret War; who have committed crimes and on the deportation order list are facing imminent deportation back to Laos, a country some has never visited, many also were born in the refugee camps in Thailand.
According to NBC News dated Oct. 29, 2019, by Kimmy Yam, "in 2002, the two countries struck an agreement in which Cambodia consented to take in a limited number of deportees. The agreement prompted backlash and protests from the Cambodian American community, who raised humanitarian concerns around the deportations since a significant portion of those at risk came to the U.S. as refugees. The Cambodian government ended up halting the issuing of travel documents for deportation in August 2017
Similarly, the government of Vietnam also have signed an agreement with the U.S. agreed to take back people who came to the U.S. after 1995 but not those that came to the U.S. before 1995. However, according to an article published by NPR on March 4, 2019, the Trump administration wants to expand on that agreement to be able to deport Vietnamese immigrants who came here before 1995 and have committed a crime.
It's unclear how the Trump administration plans to implement such a harsh policy toward one of their most royal allies, the Hmong. No doubt that many organizations and supporters of the Hmong will protest such a hardline approach. Nevertheless, when it becomes reality, Hmong and Lao immigrants who are falling into the category(ies) described above will face the real possibility of being deported to Laos.
BY: TED VANG
