Thread: Trump administration preparing to deport hundreds of MN Hmong and Lao refugees

Trump administration preparing to deport hundreds of MN Hmong and Lao refugees, Betty McCollum warns


Colorful umbrellas are seen at the market area of the Hmong Freedom Celebration and Sports Festival at Como Park in St. Paul. U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum is objecting to what she said was the Trump administration’s work to deport Hmong and Lao people who are not citizens. (John Autey / Pioneer Press file)By DEANNA WENIGER | dweniger@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer Press

PUBLISHED: February 8, 2020 at 6:05 pm | UPDATED: February 8, 2020 at 6:11 pm



U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum of Minnesota wrote a letter of opposition this week to U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo after learning of what she said was the Trump administration’s work to deport Hmong and Lao people who are not citizens.

The letter, dated Feb. 3, states that the administration is negotiating with the Lao People’s Democratic Republic on an agreement that would send undocumented Hmong and Lao persons in the U.S. back to the country of their birth.

U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum “I am writing to register my strong opposition to any such repatriation agreement between the U.S. and Laos,” the congresswoman said. “Any deportation of Hmong and Lao refugees residing in the U.S. to Laos will tear families apart while putting those individuals at risk in a country that has never been their home.”

The State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment Saturday, but a news release said Pompeo had met with Laotian Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith in Washington on Jan. 28 to discuss efforts to strengthen the U.S.-Laos relations. They discussed plans for an upcoming meeting between President Donald Trump and the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as well as U.S. plans for expanding engagement in the Mekong region.

McCollum represents Minnesota’s 4th District, which covers nearly all of Ramsey County including St. Paul and many of its suburbs. She became concerned after receiving a letter in January from the Coalition of Asian American Leaders tipping her off about a program they said had been set up to receive individuals from the U.S. who have final deportation orders to Laos. No public announcement had been made, but they urged McCollum to reach out to the State Department.

The group told McCollum that they were concerned that some 700 Minnesotan residents could be at risk of deportation to Laos.

According to the International Institute of Minnesota, there are 60,000 Hmong living in Minnesota and 15,000 Laotians in the Twin Cities metro.

“Minnesota is now the home to tens of thousands of Hmong and Lao veterans of the war in Indochina, naturalized U.S. citizens who were refugees from Laos, and a small number of legal residents who never received citizenship,” McCollum wrote. “This is a strong and vibrant community that contributes immeasurably to the success of Minnesota’s economy and our quality of life.”

St. Paul City Council member Dai Thao said he was aware of McCollum’s letter and said he’s heard from Hmong constituents who are afraid of being sent back to a country they have little if any connection to.

“They are very concerned,” he said. “They know that President Trump has been unpredictable and is lawless. They know that the Trump administration has been targeting women, the Latino community, the LGBT community, and now he’s targeting the Hmong community.”

Thao said those on what he called “the removal list” should be looked at individually, such as one St. Paul man he knows personally.

https://www.twincities.com/2020/02/0...ccollum-warns/

They are NOT Citizens = DEPORT!!!!!!!

Use SHIPS and get them off our soil.

Cut off the freebies!

Get them out of our schools and housing and off our roads!

Out of our healthcare system.


Trump is not "lawlessness"! These rotten politicians are and those who come here illegally.

US deported 80 Cambodians last year