APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Neighbors, war criminals, immigrants… those are the kind of words being used at Tuesday morning’s press conference.
It all makes for a confusing situation, after news broke of the U.S. State Department discussing a plan to deport Lao and Hmong immigrants.
Many are unsure who could be deported, how they’d be carried out, if it’s even legal and what would happen if people are taken back to Laos.
“If the United States deports a Hmong to Laos, this indicates that the United States is giving the Hmong person a death sentence,” said Appleton city council woman Maiyoua Thao at Tuesday’s press conference.
She’s one of several leaders and lawmakers who had strong words against the deportation plan.
“They do not know the law, they do not know the language,” said Kou Vang. He is a refugee and Hmong American Fox Valley Partnership president.
He fears what could happen to those deported if and when they return.
“They’re at risk of being persecuted,” said Vang. “The human rights record in Laos is not the greatest. If they found out their parents were highly ranked officials during the war, they could potentially disappear.”
Democratic state representative Amanda Stuck is one of many who signed an opposition letter to Wisconsin’s congressional delegates.
“How are we going to determine what level of crime or you know, again is there time frames when different crimes were committed?” Stuck asked. “Those were questions that we don’t have answers to that I think we need to decide.
Questions regarding people with criminal records are what several legislators, are trying to answer.
Stuck says there are other factors to consider.
“For those who have a criminal record should they be allowed to stay in the country?” FOX 11 asked.
“I think part of the problem is not that they’re talking about criminals,” Stuck explained. “We’re talking about the fact that there’s been a lot of questions about people who may not have been here fully as citizens or brought here as children, that is really the question.”
A question Republican Senator Ron Johnson’s office answered with this statement:
It is important to note that, as described by State, this would not apply to all Hmong in WI or the U.S., rather just those who are not citizens and who have been ordered removed by an immigration judge. This is mostly likely due to a criminal conviction that lead to a deportation order. Also, a deportee would be able to be screened for the risk of future persecution or torture prior to being removed back to Laos. It is incumbent upon the U.S. government to ensure that deportees are returned safely and not subjected to future persecution once removed from the U.S. This is no different than if an immigrant from any other country committed a crime and was deported, except the US and Laos do not currently have a deportation agreement in place.
FOX 11 also reached out to Senator Tammy Baldwin’s office.
She gave us a copy of her letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
In it she says most Hmong residents with deportation orders come from refugee families, adding she rejects deportations without regard for human rights or due process.
