What happens when a family loses a loved one to deportation? How does someone adapt after being deported to a country they’ve never set foot in? One Hmong family from South St. Paul, Minnesota, is navigating this new normal.

ICE agents detained Zong Yang, 48, at his home on February 5, and deported him to Laos in early May because of a felony burglary conviction from his twenties. His wife Linda, 41, is now raising the couple’s five boys alone, juggling a 3-year-old toddler up to a 17-year-old high school graduate. Meanwhile, Zong is adjusting to life in Laos, where he doesn’t speak the native language.

Join Sahan Journal as we follow the Yang family’s journey as one of the many casualties of Operation Metro Surge. “Taken: A family’s story of deportation” is an occasional series that will publish throughout the year.

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TAKEN: PART 2

Linda Yang holds her phone to a microphone and plays a pre-recorded message from Zong Yang at their son Yaay Aden Yang’s high school graduation party at Lorraine Park in South St. Paul on June 28, 2026. Zong was deported to Laos in May. Yaay (right) plans to attend Winona State University this fall. Credit: Aaron Nesheim | Sahan Journal
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TAKEN: PART 1

The Yang family is shown in an undated photo taken at a family event. Back row left to right: Linda, Yaay, Kenji and Zong. Front row left to right: Titan, King and Everest. Credit: Provided by Linda Yang
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