More than a dozen migrants from Southeast Asian communities that historically allied with the U.S. during the Vietnam War have been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and now face deportation.
The Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that ICE arrested 16 migrants in Detroit on July 30.
“This operation resulted in the arrest of multiple criminal illegal aliens, including child sex abusers, drug traffickers, a known gang member who obstructed a murder investigation, and other Laotian nationals with extensive criminal histories,” the department told Newsweek in an emailed statement.
Why It Matters
The detentions come amid ongoing concerns from immigrant rights advocates over aggressive enforcement tactics that expanded under the Trump administration, with ICE ramping up arrests and deportations.
What To Know
Members of the Hmong community, an ethnic group from Southeast Asia, were recruited by the CIA to assist the U.S. against Communist forces during the Vietnam War and a related conflict in Laos.
Many later resettled in the U.S. as refugees after facing persecution in their home country of Laos and went on to live, work and have families in the United States.
Of the 16 migrants ICE arrested in Michigan, 15 were detained after being summoned to their Detroit field office for routine appointments, the Detroit Free Press reported.
The final man was arrested at his workplace in Lansing, according to Christine Sauvé, a manager at Michigan Immigrant Rights Center.
The migrants were taken to a detention center in northwestern Michigan, then on to facilities in Louisiana and Texas.
Newsweek previously reported that Pang Nhia Hang Bailey from the Hmong community, a mother of four who had been living in the U.S. for more than four decades, was detained on July 30.
ICE officials told the Detroit Free Press that the detainees had criminal records and had been ordered to be removed by immigration judges over the course of years.
They added that the agency was now taking action because it had obtained travel documents from the government of Laos to send them there.
Deportations to Laos have historically been difficult, but the Trump administration has pressured the country into taking deportees, the outlet reported.
A group of 27 Michigan lawmakers have called for the detainees to be immediately released in a letter to Kevin Raycraft, the field director of ICE’s Detroit office.
State Representative Mai Xiong, Michigan’s first Hmong American legislator, said in a Facebook video that many of the detainees had never been to Laos, having been born in refugee camps in other countries, or had been brought to the U.S. as children.
Maiyia Xiong, the wife of Wa Kong Lor, one of the detained immigrants, said in a statement read out at a news conference: “This appeared to be a targeted operation, an easy way for ICE officers to detain people without going to their homes.”
“My husband, like many others that day, was taken without warning,” she said.
Sufeng Yang, who arrived in the U.S. as a young child with his mother, is also among the detainees.
Anissa Lee, his daughter, said Yang arrived “seeking safety and a better life after the war,” the Detroit Free Press reported.
“He was raised here. He was educated here, and he built his life here. The United States is all he’s ever known. It’s his only home. He’s not just a resident here. He’s a taxpayer, a provider, a father and a caregiver,” Lee said.
What People Are Saying
The Department of Homeland Security told Newsweek in a statement: “Secretary [Kristi] Noem has unleashed ICE to target the worst of the worst—including gang members, murderers, and rapists. Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.”
Michigan state Representative Donavan McKinney said at a news conference: “It’s cruel, it’s wrong, it’s unjust, and it must end. We are calling for their release. Families belong together, not torn apart in secrecy. We also call for transparency and accountability so these horrific events stop happening.”
What Happens Next
The detainees remain in ICE custody, and their attorneys and local lawmakers continue to push for their release.
The post ICE Arrests 16 Migrants From Community That Helped US in Vietnam War appeared first on Newsweek.
