Saint Paul, MN – Over 100 people converged Nov. 3 at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Field Office at Fort Snelling to protest the pending deportations of loved ones to Cambodia. Eight Cambodian refugee men from Minnesota have been targeted for deportation because of old criminal convictions. All served their sentences and had moved on with their lives when they were apprehended by ICE and processed for deportation. “My husband hasn’t even been to Cambodia,” said Jenny Srey, wife of Ched Nin, 36, one of the men targeted. “He was born in a refugee camp in Thailand and grew up in Minnesota. He has a Minnesotan accent. He belongs here with us.”

Children, family members, and supporters are asking ICE to release the men immediately. “They might as well be sending these men to their deaths,” said Sokha Kul. “They have no ties to Cambodia. Their entire lives are here.” Sokha added, “To our kids, these ICE agents are monsters. My baby is having nightmares about his daddy being deported. They need to know the kind of terror they are inflicting on our families.”

The eight men were detained in August as part of a nationwide sweep of Cambodian refugees with old criminal records that make them deportable. Katrina Dizon Mariategue of the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC) in Washington, D.C., explained that immigration laws passed during a “tough on crime” mood in the mid-1990s vastly expanded the range of convictions, from violent crimes to shoplifting and minor drug-related offenses, that can result in mandatory deportation. “Immigration judges have spoken out that these laws unfairly tie their hands. They see refugee fathers who have moved on with their lives – people like Ched Nin who have kids with health issues, and who volunteer their time in the community. But these laws make it difficult to stop their deportations.”

The families of the eight men continue to fight against the deportations, which are rumored to be set for late November and December. “Without Ched we lose our health insurance, our home, our family’s rock,” said Srey. “We will do everything we possibly can to keep him home with us.”

See a video here about the Minnesota 8: https://vimeo.com/189347573

#SaintPaulMN #Deportation #Minnesota8

Minneapolis, MN – Around 200 people packed Cowles Auditorium at the University of Minnesota Oct. 20 to hear from the families of eight Minnesota men who are currently detained by immigration officials and facing the threat of deportation to Cambodia. The families called for the release of the Minnesota 8 and an end to unjust deportations. The event also featured the documentary Sentenced Home, which tells the stories of several men who have already been deported to Cambodia.

The Minnesota 8 are Chamroeun Phan, Chan Heng Ouch, Chan Om, Ched Nin, Phoeuy Chuon, Ron An, Soeun Chheng and Sameth Nhean. They are refugees from Cambodia who were detained by ICE in late August, separated from their families, and informed that they will be deported to Cambodia.

These detentions and pending deportations are part of a wave of deportations hitting Cambodian families around the country. Many Cambodians became refugees in the context of the U.S. bombing of Cambodia in the late 1960s and 1970s during the Vietnam War and the subsequent political upheaval in Cambodia.

Several of the people facing deportation were born in refugee camps outside of Cambodia and later migrated to the U.S., never having lived in Cambodia. The eight have U.S. legal permanent residency, but due to punitive immigration laws passed in 1996 and an agreement between the U.S. and Cambodia in 2002 in the aftermath of 9/11, they are now subject to deportation because of felonies in their distant past for which they have already been punished.

The event began with a presentation by a U of MN professor who gave context for the Cambodian refugee experience in the U.S. After watching the documentary Sentenced Home, there were brief statements from representatives of the Cambodian Student Association and the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee-UMN. Then a panel of family members and an immigration lawyer answered questions from the audience. Many people expressed the desire to take action to support the Minnesota 8, and many also expressed the need to build unity to stop these deportations as well as deportations affecting immigrants and refugees of other nationalities.

The families of the Minnesota 8 called on people to contact their elected officials on Monday, Oct. 24 to ask them to pressure ICE to release the Minnesota 8. Specifically, they want calls directed to Senators Klobuchar and Franken, and Representatives Ellison and McCollum. Further details are on the Facebook page @ReleaseMN8 and #ReleaseMN8.

The Oct. 20 event was hosted by the Cambodian Student Association-Minnesota, the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee-UMN and several other organizations.

#MinneapolisMN #AsianNationalities #Cambodia #Minnesota8