Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has pardoned an immigrant who was arrested in July by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and is facing potential deportation to Laos, despite living in the U.S. since he was 1 year old.
After months of activism by immigrant and Asian-American advocacy groups, Whitmer on Wednesday, Oct. 22, issued a pardon for Lue Yang, a Hmong refugee who is a father of six, an engineer and the president of the Hmong Family Association of Lansing. Yang is a citizen of Laos who was convicted of home invasion in the second degree and was ordered removed from the U.S. in 2001, ICE said. Public records show he is a resident of St. Johns area.
“Yesterday, I granted a pardon for Lue Yang, a devoted family man and respected leader in Michigan’s Hmong community,” Whitmer said in a statement sent Wednesday to the Free Press through a spokesperson.
“Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced that she granted one pardon request after receiving and reviewing an application for Lue Yang,” said the statement from Whitmer’s communications office. “The pardon sets aside a conviction, allowing the individual to move forward without the offense listed on their record.”
Whitmer’s office said “Yang completed a sentence for a crime committed nearly 30 years ago and that “his conviction was expunged in 2018.” The office added that “Yang … serves as a cultural leader and volunteer in his community.”
Rising Voices, an Asian-American advocacy group in Michigan that has been fighting for the release of Yang and other Hmong refugees in Michigan detained by ICE, applauded the pardon, but fears that ICE may still remove him.
“ICE has placed Lue on a plane we believe is still within the U.S., preparing to deport him to Laos, a country he has never called home,” Nue Lee of Rising Voices said Wednesday, Oct. 23.
ICE did not return a message on Wednesday seeking the status of Yang. His name could not be found in the ICE database of detainees.
Whitmer’s pardon was similar to former Gov. Rick Snyder’s pardon in December 2018 of five Iraqi immigrants with criminal records facing deportation. Snyder’s move came after immigrant advocates had fought to block the deportations of hundreds of Iraqis and Chaldeans detained by ICE.
Yang is one of 16 Hmong and Laotian refugees who were arrested by ICE agents in July, sparking concern among immigrant advocates and communities. The refugees were part of groups who were allied with the U.S. during the Vietnam War, some of them recruited by the CIA to battle Communist forces in southeast Asia. Most of them were deported in August, ICE and advocates said. ICE described them as “heinous criminal illegal aliens,” but advocates said they had already served their sentences and were helping their communities and families.
Yang “was born stateless in a refugee camp in Thailand,” his wife, Ann Vue, said earlier this year at a press conference. Many Hmong refugees ended up in Thailand after escaping persecution in Laos.
“His father served with the U.S. forces during the Vietnam War, recruited by the CIA’s secret war to help America. They saved the lives of countless Americans and … fought alongside our soldiers in the shadows, often giving away their own lives.”
Vue said Wednesday in a statement: “My family and I need Lue to return home where he belongs. This pardon shows the power of humanity and community. … We applaud and thank Governor Whitmer for her courage in granting Lue this pardon. Now we demand ICE and DHS (Department of Homeland Security) to bring Lue home to Michigan.”
Whitmer’s pardon is believed to be the first action she’s taken this year in support of immigrants in Michigan being targeted by ICE.
Rising Action said the arrests of the Asian refugees are part of a growing problem in the U.S. as the administration of President Donald Trump vows to carry out a record number of deportations.
“Families are separated without warning, and entire communities live in fear for their safety,” Rising Voices said. “Now more than ever, we must stand against the cruel immigration policies and demand moral leadership rooted in hope, compassion, and justice.”
State Journal staff contributed. Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com, X @nwarikoo or Facebook @nwarikoo.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Gov. Whitmer pardons Hmong refugee arrested by ICE facing deportation
Reporting by Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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