Ma Yang, a Milwaukee mother of five, now finds herself stranded in Laos after her deportation earlier this month. She has lived in the U.S. since infancy but was sent to a country she has never visited. Born in a refugee camp in Thailand, Yang fled to the U.S. with her Hmong parents before she turned one. Now, she remains in Laos under military supervision, unsure of what happens next.
“I would love to come back. I have five children. I pray every day to return,” Yang told TMJ4 News. Military guards have kept her in a compound, and she does not speak the local language, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
A past drug conviction triggered her deportation. In 2020, Yang pleaded guilty to participating in a federal marijuana trafficking case and served a 30-month prison sentence. She insists that her attorney never warned her that the plea deal would cost her permanent residency. After her release, she resumed life in Milwaukee, working as a nail technician and attending routine ICE check-ins. However, during a February appointment, immigration officials detained her. They moved her between multiple facilities before putting her on a flight to Laos.
Her sudden deportation devastated her family. Yang’s 22-year-old daughter, Azia, now takes care of her younger siblings. “She has always been our rock. Now, I have to help where I can,” Azia said. Her long-term partner, Michael Bub, struggles to care for the children alone due to his disability.
Laos has rarely accepted deportees from the U.S. In November, ICE reported that nearly 5,000 Laotian nationals with removal orders remained in the U.S. Yang assumed she would not be sent back because of this pattern.
Her case has raised concerns within the Hmong American community. Many Hmong refugees fought alongside U.S. forces during the Vietnam War before resettling in the U.S. Yang questioned how the government could send Hmong people back under these circumstances.
“How do you send us back when we fought for you?” she asked.
Her family and legal advocates are working to bring her home. However, without identification, support, or a clear legal path, her return remains uncertain.
AsAmNews is published by the non-profit, Asian American Media Inc.
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