Fifteen Hmong Minnesotans are facing imminent deportation following a renewed crackdown by federal immigration officials targeting individuals with past criminal convictions — many of which date back decades.
The arrests occurred earlier this month across the Twin Cities, with agents detaining individuals at their homes and workplaces. In one instance, a father was taken by plainclothes officers, leaving his three young children alone and unsupervised.
Darling Yaj, executive director of the Hmong 18 Council, said several families dropped off luggage at the St. Paul Immigration Office on Monday, preparing for what they believed would be forced deportations within days.
The arrests, and public posts about them on social media, have deeply alarmed the Hmong community — which has rarely seen this level of targeted immigration enforcement. Most of those facing deportation arrived in the U.S. as children from refugee camps following the CIA-backed “Secret War” in Laos during the 1970s. Though they’ve lived in the U.S. for decades, prior criminal convictions cost them their legal residency status, making them eligible for deportation.
Laos Faces Pressure to Accept Deportees
According to Moua Her, a consular officer at the Lao Embassy in Washington, D.C., Laos has already issued travel documents for 145 deportees from the U.S. this year — a sharp increase from its usual average of about 10 per year.
“We don’t want to accept them,” Her said. “But we have no choice, and neither do they.”
A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling has cleared the way for deportations to proceed to countries where the individuals have few or no ties, like a controversial flight to South Sudan involving men who had never lived there.
Asked how long it would take for the recent arrestees to be deported, Her said some already have travel documents and will likely be sent to Laos within a month.
Social Media Posts Amplify Fears
Adding to the distress are social media posts by the Department of Homeland Security showing several arrested Hmong men in handcuffs. The photos, shared by the HSI St. Paul account on X, list the names, ages, and past convictions of those arrested — labeling most as “illegal aliens.”
Immigration attorneys and community advocates say the posts are intentionally dehumanizing.
“These men are Americans in every way but paperwork,” said Kay Moua, program director at MN8, an immigrant-led advocacy group. “They grew up here, went to school here, and built their lives here. Deporting them is a cruel betrayal of everything they know.”
Many of those arrested had convictions from when they were minors, and all have already completed their sentences.
“They’ve taken responsibility and turned their lives around,” Moua said. “This is a cruel form of double punishment.”
Fong Lee, whose cousin was recently detained, emphasized the historical connection between the U.S. and the Hmong people: “We came here because we helped the CIA. Calling us illegal is not just wrong — it hurts the whole community.”
Families Left Traumatized, Children Unattended
Arrests have reportedly taken place in front of children and neighbors, with little transparency about where detainees are being held or when they’ll be deported.
“One father of three was taken, leaving kids under 10 alone at home,” said Moua. “It was neighbors who stepped in to help. There was no regard for the safety or trauma of these children.”
She added that ICE agents often provide no information, even when family members try to ask about their rights.
Legal Hurdles for Reversing Deportation Orders
Immigration attorney Lee Moua said he’s been flooded with calls from worried Hmong residents — including some U.S. citizens — unsure of their travel rights under the current crackdown.
While deportation orders can technically be challenged in court, successfully suspending them is rare, he said. Deportations of Hmong Americans used to be uncommon, largely because Laos wouldn’t accept them. But under pressure from the Trump administration, including threats of visa sanctions and trade restrictions, Laos has begun accepting more deportees.
Ma Yang, a Wisconsin mother of five, was one of the first Hmong deportees earlier this year. After serving 2½ years in prison for marijuana-related charges, she was sent to Laos — a country she had never lived in. Her story, reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, drew national attention.
“She misses her children deeply,” said Tammie Xiong, executive director of the Hmong American Women’s Association in Wisconsin, who remains in contact with Yang’s family. “But even from Laos, she’s determined to fight to reunite with them. She sees this as a grave injustice — and she’s not giving up.”
