Trump wants to deport Hmong and Lao people back to Laos

[lilly]

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/02/07/thousands-of-hmong-and-lao-americans-face-deportation-under-trump-proposal

Thousands of Hmong and Lao Americans face deportation under Trump proposal
In a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Rep. Betty McCollum calls the plan 'unconscionable'

Riham FeshirSt. PaulFebruary 7, 2020 3:52 p.m.


Advocates warn that a Trump administration proposal to deport thousands of Hmong and Lao Americans back to Laos could be detrimental to families in Minnesota.

Community advocates say the proposal would affect about 4,700 Hmong and Lao people nationwide who never became United States citizens. Those affected include those who have committed crimes and have deportation orders issued against them.

The Trump administration is negotiating with the Lao government to allow for the deportation, according to Minnesota U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum.

McCollum, a DFLer, wrote a letter Monday to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo opposing the plan, saying it would be “unconscionable to deport individuals to any country in which the U.S. knowingly puts them at risk.”

McCollum’s office has received numerous requests to take urgent action against the negotiations, said her chief of staff, Bill Harper.

"Laos does not want to sign the agreement,” Harper said. “They don’t want these individuals sent back to their country, and in part because most of these individuals have not lived in Laos for decades."

Sia Her, executive director of the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans, said it’s unclear how many people in the state would be affected. She said the plan would tear apart families, not to mention burden them financially if a parent were deported. Her added that many individuals have already have served prison terms.

“Many of them will have built a family and lived in communities for decades now,” Her said.

McCollum noted in her letter that Minnesota is home to tens of thousands of Hmong and Lao veterans of the Vietnam War-era conflict, naturalized U.S. citizens who were refugees from Laos and legal residents who never received citizenship.

The Twin Cities is home to the largest urban Hmong concentration in America — with about 82,000 people of Hmong ancestry residing in Minnesota. About 17,800 Lao Americans call the state home, according to estimates by Minnesota Compass.

“This is a strong and vibrant community that contributes immeasurably to the success of Minnesota’s economy and our quality of life,” McCollom wrote. “Any repatriation agreement resulting in the deportation of Hmong-Lao community members will be viewed as a direct attack on my constituents and their family members.”

[ProudLao]

I believe he has deported more than two dozens Cambodian.

[lilly]

I believe he has deported more than two dozens Cambodian.

Yes, he has.  They were mostly non-citizens but legal refugees who committed crimes. These people have green cards and call America home.  To uproot them all of sudden is a huge disruption to their family life.  Many of these people have children so deporting them would essentially be tearing families apart.  I don't agree with reaching a repatriation agreement for this reason because keeping families together has more value in my book than other motivators.

[hmgROCK]

Where do we sign up???
Going start a farm on the hillside
Maybe raise some cattle

[Believe_N_Me]

I'm all for it. Let's not pretend that these offenders are peace-building, contributors in Hmong communities. If anything, they have been disrupters. I laugh at the people who act like these people were the glue in their children's lives. If anything, they've done nothing but created an unstable environment for their family, especially the children.

Maybe it's time for serious consequences to get these bad characters to shape up or ship out of Hmong communities. And look on the bright side, if deported, they can finally have their young brides/grooms in Laos. But even Laos don't want them. That says a LOT!

I have no sympathy for them. And btw, this sh.it was happening to Cambodians in Seattle for decades before Trump. I remember watching a PBS documentary about it in the 90s.

[DuMa]

The key issue here is this.   The USA is opening up their doors to foreigners and with a reason.  If you come here just to suck the resources from the government then you are not doing a service to the american government that got you here in the first place.  He don't need you so he kick yall back.  He did gave yall a chance but not his fault if yall blew it. 

Now with the kids of criminals, it is like a catch 22 kind of a thing.  The enemy, once cornered will hold up their innocent children just so you do not strike at them.  Do you still bomb the chit out of the both of them?  Dayam if you do and double dayam if you don't cuz allowing crimes by our own people do sux.  It will put a dampened on your own people and that is not how we try to strive for this american dream when we have the few that is holding us back.

How about this.  I'll help deport your hmong criminals and you can help deport my viet criminals. 

I only wish for one thing though and that their kids, when being left behind will find a great family so their kids can grow up to be someone productive for this country.  Sometimes you break families up for the betterment of the picture as a whole can be justifiable.  If I'm that criminal, I want my kids to do better in life than my sad self so with that, come ship my criminal azz already.  I'm down for it.  When my kids are older, they can fly to the motherland and give daddy a million bucks.  How about that? 

[Reporter]

Be citizens, citizens!

[hmgROCK]

sign me up
i'm ready to go back to the motherland

[ProudLao]

Be citizens, citizens!

I agree and don’t commit  crime.

[ProudLao]

sign me up
i'm ready to go back to the motherland

You can get up and go on your own any day now lol

[hmgROCK]

You can get up and go on your own any day now lol

not really PROUD lao afterall
 

going start a veggie farm by the hillside
maybe have a cattle of two

[YAX]

I'm all for it. Let's not pretend that these offenders are peace-building, contributors in Hmong communities. If anything, they have been disrupters. I laugh at the people who act like these people were the glue in their children's lives. If anything, they've done nothing but created an unstable environment for their family, especially the children.

Maybe it's time for serious consequences to get these bad characters to shape up or ship out of Hmong communities. And look on the bright side, if deported, they can finally have their young brides/grooms in Laos. But even Laos don't want them. That says a LOT!

I have no sympathy for them. And btw, this sh.it was happening to Cambodians in Seattle for decades before Trump. I remember watching a PBS documentary about it in the 90s.

Ofcourse you are and if Trump changes his mind tomorrow, you'll be for that too because that's what brainless people do.

[theking]

You can get up and go on your own any day now lol

Watch him back pedal when challenged directly like this...

[theking]

I'm all for it. Let's not pretend that these offenders are peace-building, contributors in Hmong communities. If anything, they have been disrupters. I laugh at the people who act like these people were the glue in their children's lives. If anything, they've done nothing but created an unstable environment for their family, especially the children.

Maybe it's time for serious consequences to get these bad characters to shape up or ship out of Hmong communities. And look on the bright side, if deported, they can finally have their young brides/grooms in Laos. But even Laos don't want them. That says a LOT!

I have no sympathy for them. And btw, this sh.it was happening to Cambodians in Seattle for decades before Trump. I remember watching a PBS documentary about it in the 90s.

Ofcourse you are and if Trump changes his mind tomorrow, you'll be for that too because that's what brainless people do.

LOVE IT!!! 

[WildRedLotus]

Regardless of what crimes they have committed... everywhere you live and every race have criminals. Us compared to the whole USA, we don't even compared. We are still a minority when compared to the crimes where as other races have caused. It's not about who to send back. Why? or that criminals should be sent back. It's about us as a whole HMONG/LAO community. When are we going to stand up and unite as one? Our hmong mentality has always been "Not my concern if it doesn't have anything to do with me". Well, you better stop  with this mentality thinking because it is about everyone in your race regardless if you want to claim that you are a hmong or not. It's about standing up now for the present and for your future generation so that they will know not to push hmong people around. We might be a small community.. but I think if we all stand up and unite as one we will be stronger. If you want to live in a crime-free country, this is not the country for you. Every day people are getting murder, robbed, and raped. It happens everywhere.