Thong Lao knew Friday would be his last night in Minnesota. The guards at the Freeborn County Jail took away his cash card for the vending machine the night before.
He and three Hmong detainees at the jail had heard from guards they would soon be on a flight to Laos, he said in an interview Friday.
In early June, at least 15 Hmong Minnesotans with past convictions were arrested as federal immigration officers ramped up a campaign of deportations.
Five of them, including Lao, were expected to be on a deportation flight that took off Monday heading to Laos. They’re part of a trickle of Hmong Americans with decades-old deportation orders now being sent back to a country where they have very few ties.
It’s likely more Hmong people from across the country are on the Monday deportation flight, said Montha Chum, co-founder and executive director of MN8, a local Southeast Asian immigrant-led advocacy and anti-deportation organization.
At least 57 Southeast Asian deportees are confirmed to be on the Monday flight, according to MN8’s national network of immigration advocacy groups.
Most were born in refugee camps before immigrating to the United States as children. Their families fled the “Secret War” in Laos, a CIA-backed military operation during the 1970s to fight the spread of communism.
The recent influx of deportees has led advocacy groups, including the national nonprofit Collective Freedom, to set up support services for those arriving in Laos without a safety net or resources.
“They haven’t been there in 30, 40, 50 years — since they were kids,” Collective Freedom founder Thao Ha said.
‘I wish I could turn back time’
Lao said he was at the St. Paul home where he lived with his wife and five children, when he was arrested on June 6.
Now 42, he was convicted of second-degree sexual assault of a child in Wisconsin as a 19-year-old and received a final order of deportation. He served nearly seven years in prison before his release.
For years, he showed up for his annual check-in at the Fort Snelling Immigration Court. In the meantime, he built a life with his wife, Xeng Vang, and their children in St. Paul.
He had heard that Laos had refused to accept Americans with deportation orders in the past, especially those from ethnic minorities, like the Hmong. He also thought that he was spared from deportation because his conviction happened more than 20 years ago and he immigrated to the United States as a refugee.
“I wish I could turn back time,” he said, regarding his teenage conviction. “I did not know it was going to affect my future so bad like this.”
During Lao’s immigration check-in in January, he was told to return in a year. Five months later, he was at Freeborn County Jail in Albert Lea — one of three U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers in Minnesota.
On Monday morning, ICE’s online detainee locator system showed Lao and three other Hmong men at the Fort Snelling Immigration Court office in St. Paul.
By the afternoon, it showed the four of them at Alexandra Staging Facility in Louisiana – the nation’s busiest deportation hub. A military plane likely carrying Southeast Asian deportees to Laos or Vietnam left the facility Monday, according to Tom Cartwright, an immigration advocate who tracks deportation flights.
The four Hmong deportees from Minnesota are probably on the flight, some immigration advocates say. As of Tuesday evening, the plane left Hawaii, but the next destination is unknown.
“It’s not until they land in the countries overseas for us to find out,” Chum said.
When ICE officers spoke to Lao on Thursday, he said they didn’t share details of the exact time or traveling route to Laos. Throughout his time awaiting deportation, Lao said his biggest concerns were his health and being away from family members.
“I’m so worried about that,” he said. “I’m just so sad that I cannot be there to help out my kids.”
His most recent detention has scrambled the family’s life. His wife, Xeng Vang said she changed her working hours to the third shift to make time to care for the children. Oftentimes, she said their children will ask when Lao will return home, especially their oldest son who has autism.
It’s been financially difficult for her to adjust without Lao, she said. As a result, she is not sure when they’ll be able to visit him in Laos. Vang said she has been thankful for being able to communicate with Lao while he is in detention. During that time, she has been setting up a plan for Lao when he arrives in Laos.
She has been in contact with a few immigration advocates who work closely with Lao officials to support newly arrived deportees.
‘A difficult place to navigate’
Collective Freedom provides support for Southeast Asian deportees, including resettlement services. Some of the services include care packages and financial assistance.
“Laos is very difficult right now to navigate,” she said, noting it started to accept more U.S. deportees earlier this year. When they arrive in Laos, she said, they stay in a facility until the Laotian government finishes processing their paperwork. They also need to get a Lao citizen to agree to be their sponsor, who is responsible for helping them settle in, such as obtaining an ID and Lao citizenship.
MN8 has donated $5,000 to Collective Freedom for supporting new arrivals from this week’s deportation flight, Chum said. She also said they’re working to organize fundraising efforts for helping deportees arriving in Laos and their families.
They stay in the facility ranging from two weeks to three months, according to immigration advocates.
Many U.S. deportees struggle with challenges in resettlement, such as the language barrier and securing a job, she said. Collective Freedom is working on developing their services to help more U.S. deportees connect with sponsors and learn how to rebuild their lives in Laos.
“It’s all of these factors that need to be addressed when you’re talking about resettlement.”
UPDATE: A total of five Hmong men from Minnesota were transferred to Louisiana on their route for deportation, who still remain there as of Monday, August 18.
