Minnesota officials urged to act as Hmong residents face deportation to Laos

Minnesota lawmakers and community leaders are calling on Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison to intervene as federal authorities began deporting Hmong residents with decades old convictions to Laos, a country many left as children with little or no connection today.

Minnesota 8 (MN8), a Southeast Asian advocacy group, has reported more than 150 Southeast Asian residents deported from Minnesota since May, with many more detained in facilities as far away as Louisiana. The surge follows Laos’ recent decision to issue travel documents, ending years of resistance that had previously stalled deportation orders. Montha Chum, executive director of MN8, said, “Those same children who came as refugees are being sent back to the countries their family originally fled from by the same government that was responsible for their displacement 50 years ago.”

Among those at risk is 42-year-old Thong Lao of St. Paul, who served nearly seven years in prison for a conviction as a teenager and later built a life with his wife and five children. Arrested at home in June, Lao reflected on his future, saying, “I wish I could turn back time … I did not know it was going to affect my future so bad like this.” Another case is that of 47-year-old Lue Yang, a longtime community advocate arrested in July, whose wife warned his public advocacy for Hmong veterans makes him a target if returned.

Community members rallied at the East Side Freedom Library in St. Paul for an event organized by MN8 on Aug. 17. State Rep. Kaohly Vang Her told the crowd she had urged Governor Walz and Attorney General Ellison to use pardons and clemency to protect Hmong residents from removal. “It’s been really challenging. There has been roadblock after roadblock and I am to a point now where I’m like ‘This is it.’ It’s on all of us. This is the time to stand up for each other,” she said. Rep. Liz Lee added, “The most important thing we have is our people power, because change will not happen without people being courageous, like all of you.”

Immigration attorney Mai Neng Moua echoed those concerns, arguing that deportations unfairly target people who have already served their sentences. “This is double punishment,” she said. “They paid their dues, they served their time, and now they are being punished again by being exiled to a country that is not their home.”

Neither Governor Walz nor Attorney General Ellison has issued a formal public statement directly addressing this crisis as of this writing.