Amber Nguyen was a recent Policy Intern at Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC. How will we know if the U.S. economy is in a recession? U.S. funding reintegration program in Laos for Laotian and Hmong refugees Rob Mentzer/Wisconsin Public Radio President Trump's administration is negotiating with government officials in Laos seeking an agreement that would allow the U.S. government to deport certain Hmong and Lao refugees. Check out our Newsletter Archive. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) Among the thousands of firefighters who battled record-setting wildfires in California this year was Bounchan Keola, a 39-year-old immigrant from Laos serving a 28-year prison sentence for a gang-related shooting when he was 16. Dai Thao, a St. Paul, Minnesota City Council member, has spoken on behalf of Hmong constituents who fear being sent back to a country to which they have no connection. As much of adolescence in the US is spent in school, it is important to examine the possible The only bilingual Chinese-English Newspaper in New England. The Trump administration has been able to negotiate a similar agreement with Cambodia, increasing deportations to Vietnam since 2018 In 2019, five U.S. residents were deported back to Laos. Despite public outrage over the deportation of Southeast Asian Americans and other immigrant and refugee communities, the Department of Homeland Security has not halted the separation of our families,said Quyen Dinh, executive director of SEARAC. They were resettled in really poor neighborhoods, high rates of poverty, high rates of crime, failing schools, she said. Congress and DHS must focus on repealing the provisions of law and lifting visa sanctions that have expanded the United States detention and deportation infrastructure.. Sanctions are being used to coerce countries into accepting more deported individuals and are perpetuating the United States inhumane deportation machine. He went on to go to college, he has a family, he has children and he has a steady job that hes been holding down for decades, Her said. Southeast Asian American and Asian American Organizations Across the Country Denounce Trump Administration's Move to Increase Deportations to Laos . According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 27% of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States are due to transportation a good proportion of which comes from everyday morning commutes. PDF February 25, 2021 The Honorable Alejandro Mayorkas Secretary of Many of those with deportation orders reportedly came to the U.S. as refugees. Except for the ending, Tem's story is symbolic of the plight more than 16,000 Southeast Asian refugees - from Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos - who fled their homelands . Proposed shift in funding for older adult services worries rural providers. Congress passed the Refugee Act of 1980, which established a more firm and organized immigration and resettlement system. Asian American advocacy groups in a joint statement last week announced the news of the . The bombings were part of a conflict called the Secret War and made Laos the most heavily bombed nation per capita in history. "It's a fear of the unknown. by deportation. ACTION ALERT: Allow Laotian and Hmong families to reunite - SEARAC June 1, 2020. Southeast Asian Americans continue to be torn from our communities because of unfair and inhumane immigration enforcement laws and visa sanctions that affect Southeast Asian Americans. In fiscal year 2018, just eight people were deported back to Laos, according to the Department of Homeland Security. ", 'Our Community Is In Mourning': Popular Singer Among 4 Hmong Men Killed In Fresno, 40 Years After The Vietnam War, Some Refugees Face Deportation Under Trump, Immigration and Customs Enforcement report, In Minnesota, An Ambassador For Hmong Culture And Culinary Traditions. Close to 3,500 people nationwide are subject to removal orders, according data from Syracuse University that goes back to 2001, but community activists say the number could be as high as 4,700. The proposal would apply to people who are not U.S. citizens and have standing orders of deportation issued against them. Even a $1 contribution goes a long way. Many refugees were later able to reunite with family members by sponsoring them for visas. The official said Laos will not accept thousands of deportees all at once. Japan's Changing Immigration and Refugee Policy - The Diplomat Katrina Dizon Mariategue, director of national policy with the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center, said many of the Hmong and Lao immigrants who have orders for removal have already served their time on old criminal convictions. Under the Biden administration, Southeast Asian refugees have continued to be deported, and in Boston, community organizations and legislators have collaborated to combat the problem. Hmong Feel Betrayed as Trump Targets Group for Deportations - Wi By supporting the New Way Forward Act, we can begin to combat the harmful immigration policies that perpetuate the mass incarceration of our communities and build towards a nation that protects and values all its members. As of Feb. 15, 38 Lao nationals were in ICE custody with final orders of removal, all with criminal convictions. Visa Sanctions Against Multiple Countries Pursuant to Section 243 (d The essence of this legal position has been consistent over multiple administrations.. Many of those refugees resettled in the U.S., which is home to about 186,000 foreign-born Laotians, according to the 2017 American Community Survey. It is time to repeal racist laws that devastate immigrant communities, lift visa sanctions that separate families,continue protectionsfor our most vulnerable, and work towards transforming our legal systems to uplift the dignity of our communities. []. Article: 'Recalcitrant' and 'Uncooperative.. | migrationpolicy.org Mariategue also said she's watched deportation numbers for Cambodian and Vietnamese immigrants grow, indicating a desire by the Trump administration to prioritize the removal of Southeast Asian immigrants with criminal records. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Katrina Dizon Mariategue, Director of National Policy at Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC), explains that since a program like this would likely be focused on things like language training, we are fearful that this makes refugees who have not lived in Laos for a long time more susceptible to targeting [for deportations].. McCollum to introduce legislation to stop deportation of Hmong, Lao Living in countries with strict gun controls, Boston Accent is disappearing -You're breakin' my haht! Trump Administration Moves to Deport Hmong People to Laos - Esquire The plan, confirmed by federal State Department officials on Monday, first made headlines last week after Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN-4) voiced opposition in a letter to Secretary Mike Pompeo. From .css-umdwtv{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:.0625rem;text-decoration-color:#FF3A30;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:background 0.4s;transition:background 0.4s;background:linear-gradient(#ffffff, #ffffff 50%, #d5dbe3 50%, #d5dbe3);-webkit-background-size:100% 200%;background-size:100% 200%;}.css-umdwtv:hover{color:#000000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;-webkit-background-position:100% 100%;background-position:100% 100%;}Wisconsin Public Radio: No group of people were so cruelly betrayed by our fiasco in Southeast Asia as were the Hmong. efforts. According to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement report, there were five deportations to Laos in the last fiscal year. Life and Legacy of Legendary Japanese Composer: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Katsushika Hokusai: One of the Most Famous and Influential Artists of All Time at MFA, Immigrants and Their Stories: A Series of Narratives, Four Scientists Who Warned us About Climate Change, Virtual Public Meeting Scheduled Regarding Cannabis Dispensary Proposal in Chinatown, Do I Feel Safe Without Guns? SEARAC is calling on President Biden and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to take bold action to end the unjust deportation of Southeast Asian Americans. On Monday, a U.S. State Department spokesperson confirmed in an email to MPR News that the U.S. is funding a reintegration program in Laos and that the two countries are in constant dialogue regarding Lao nationals who are subject to final orders of removal. shared their experiences of migration, K-12 education, incarceration, and facing deportation. But she said the establishment of a reintegration program in Cambodia, which helps Cambodian deportees from the U.S. adapt to life there, has yielded more of a willingness from foreign governments to accept more removals. And you see their families who dont speak English very well are having to juggle multiple jobs and aren't able to really support their children and know what's going on with them. Unsure? That is roughly equal to a planeload of bombs every 8 minutes for 24 hours a day for 9 years. critical refugee studies, and Southeast Asian critical theory. Ka Lo's parents came to the U.S. as refugees in the late 1970s. Hmong Leaders Rally Against Trump Administration Deportation Push Hmong and Lao communities are at risk under the proposed immigration policies, which target Southeast Asian populations for deportation. Around 700 Hmong/Lao residents in Minnesota, for one, are at risk of being deported to Laos. At that time, detentions, to some extent, were not targeted on the Southeast Asian community, at least in Massachusetts.. But she noted that it would defer and not stop deportations. "Because there's no information [from official sources], it creates this fear," said Yee Leng Xiong, director of Wausau's Hmong American Center. Asian American advocacy groups in a joint statement last week announced the news of the funding for the program, which the Department of State confirmed in an email. But the administration's focus on deporting . Fighting for civil rights for all and working to empower #AsianAmericans to participate in our democracy. Pompeo last met Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 28. Unique to the experience of Lao American deportation is the fact that many are facing Her father was a war veteran. In Canada, the number of deportations has declined dramatically in the last five years, from 18,992 in 2012 to 7,364 in 2016. The U.S. government expects Laos to fulfill its obligation to accept those who are deported, and it funds a reintegration program there when needed. Chan said that he believes the reason for sending Southeast Asian refugees back to their home countries is because of a racial bias. In her letter to Pompeo, McCollum cited Laos human rights record and said it was unconscionable to deport individuals to any country in which the U.S. knowingly puts them at physical risk.. limbo, because Laos previously did not accept deportees from the US. Its hard to live every day not knowing if youre going to get deported. Thao also referenced the trauma that his parents experienced, which likely contributed to his and many other refugees entanglement with law enforcement.
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