It was Dec. 5, 1975, when the first Hmong family settled in the Twin Cities. In the spring of 1976, my family relocated to Pepin, Wis., and in the summer of 1978 we moved to the McDonough Projects in St. Paul. I was 12 years old when we arrived. Today, there are approximately 84,000 Hmong and 13,000 Laotian people who call Minnesota home.
For those who may not know, under the leadership of General Vang Pao, the Hmong fought for freedom alongside the United States in Laos during the Vietnam War. When American troops withdrew, Hmong people were targeted for extermination by the Communists who took control of the Laotian government. We were forced to flee to Thailand as refugees.
Improving bilateral relations with foreign governments is something that should be a priority for every federal government official. The news that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met last month with Saleumxay Kommasith, Laos' foreign minister, shows that the current administration takes this matter seriously.
This brings me to Rep. Betty McCollum's Feb. 3 letter to Secretary Pompeo regarding deportation of Hmong and Laotian people back into Laos. The agreement the congresswoman complains of only impacts roughly 4,700 people who have lost their legal deportation battle to remain in the United States. ("Halt Hmong deportation plans," editorial, Feb. 16.)
However, McCollum's letter did not distinguish these deportable noncitizens from the law-abiding ones. It was reckless and irresponsible for McCollum to release her letter for that reason. This has caused unnecessary fear and anguish within the Hmong community.
Under immigration law, certain criminal acts committed by a noncitizen will render them deportable. The grounds for deportability can be found in the Immigration and Nationality Act Section 237. Additionally, any noncitizen who is convicted of an aggravated felony at any time after admission is deportable.
As an immigration attorney, I know this is what is currently going on with Hmong and Lao nationals who are facing deportation. More important, deportation proceedings have long been going on against Hmong and Laotian people who have committed deportable crimes and have lost their immigration-court battles against removal.
According to Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), since the congresswoman was first elected in 2001, 3,753 people have been deported to Laos. Of that total, 1,426 deportations occurred during President Barack Obama's tenure and only 275 during the current administration.