Illegal Vietnamese Face US Deportation
By MARGIE MASON

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) β€” Thousands of Vietnamese living illegally in the United States now face deportation after the two countries completed an agreement Tuesday following a decade of work on the pact, a U.S. official said.

Vietnamese who entered the U.S. illegally after the former foes normalized relations in 1995 could now be forced to return to their birth country, said Julie Myers, director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

About 6,200 Vietnamese were given final deportation orders before the agreement's completion, and 1,500 more are involved in proceedings to eventually be sent home, Myers said during a visit to Vietnam.

She did not say how many Vietnamese are believed to be living illegally in the United States.

The repatriation agreement provides steps for the U.S. to deport the Southeast Asian country's citizens who lack required documents, and for Vietnam to receive them.

The deal has been under negotiation for 10 years. Vietnam had previously been reluctant to accept citizens back.

"Vietnam has actually been a country that has been problematic for a long time, and this agreement we believe marks a new step toward making this process move more smoothly," Myers told The Associated Press.

More than 1.5 million overseas Vietnamese β€” the largest population outside Vietnam β€” live in the United States. Many fled their native country in boats after the Vietnam War ended in 1975 and northern communist forces took control of the former South Vietnam, which the U.S. had backed.



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