By Okina Tran
Editors Note: This article reflects the opinions of the writer.
The Trump administration increasingly targets immigrants with criminal convictions in Laotian, Cambodian, Vietnamese and Hmong communities in the U.S.
This makes me terrified for my own community and what could possibly happen next.
In April 2018, we saw “the largest deportation of Cambodians in the country” following the deportation of the Vietnamese community the previous year, according to Dreams Detained, in her Words.
Many have no idea what to expect in the coming years. More than 14,000 continue to live day-by-day in the country not knowing if or when they will be deported, according to the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center.
I am a second-generation American while my older family members are first-generation immigrants who fled Laos in the late 1970s and settled in the U.S., thanks to American sponsors. In Southeast Asia, my family experienced unimaginable hardships, including the death of friends, the bombings of their villages, time in refugee camps and dangerous night-time journeys to safety.
Last year, I was genuinely afraid of the possibility of my mom’s deportation. Even though she had no criminal convictions, she was not an American citizen at the time. Regardless, I couldn’t help but feel on edge. This administration has made me feel like they don’t care about my community and that frightens me.
My mom was a young child when my family fled from Laos and has spent most of her life in the U.S. No child wants to be separated from her parents, and no parent wants to be sent back to a country they fled.
This fear leads to stress for my family members who dread the possibility of never seeing their loved ones again. NBC News highlighted the stress of one father detained by ICE. Jenny Srey, whose husband was detained, said she and her children became so anxious “the family had to pay for therapy as well as thousands of dollars in legal fees.”
On Election Day, Americans have the chance to be involved in their local election and decide who represents them. I’m excited to see who will be sent to the House of Representatives and the Senate. Congress has the power to change outdated, unjust laws. The policies that have hurt our community need to be looked at again.
I want the people of Nebraska to research the candidates for this election and their stance on a fair immigration system. It’s our time to decide who will be on the side of keeping families together and dismantling the unfair policy of deportation.
