In less than one week, a Brooklyn man who has lived legally in the U.S. for 45 years expects to be taken into custody at his ICE check in and deported.
As AsAmNews reported earlier this month, his family and friends believe only a reprieve from New York Governor Kathy Hochul can save him. It’s a pardon that Hochul has so far refused to grant since she took office in 2021.
“Sammy” ,whose last name has not been publicly disclosed, had been scheduled for an ICE check-in June 5 but fell sick. That appointment has been rescheduled for this coming Wednesday, July 2nd.
Mekong NYC is asking supporters to flood the Governor with phone calls and emails on July 1. The non-profit Southeast Asian advocacy group produced this toolkit as a guide for those who wish to participate.
Sammy is a refugee from Laos whose mother died before the family could arrive in America. At age 15, he and his friends were mistaken for someone else by a group who approached them in a threatening matter. Scared, Sammy shot and killed one of them when he thought he was pulling out a gun.
He served 14 years in prison for manslaughter but has been trouble free for more than 20 years ago.
Sammy’s supporters are asking Hochul to live by the words she recently spoke.
“We will continue to do what we can to support the [immigrant] community… It’s hard to see these people, to know their stories, to hug them, to know they have been separated from loved ones. We’re a better country than this… This is New York, a land of immigrants… don’t forget that,” she said.
If deported, Sammy will leave behind a wife and step children.
During the three-day Memorial Day weekend, a record 160 Southeast Asians were deported, according to several immigration groups.
“Sammy is absolutely scared,” said Socheatta Meng, Executive Director of Mekong NYC during a phone interview with AsAmNews. “He is really terrified. The prospect of him being separated from his wife, from his (step) children, from his siblings, from you know all of his loved one and everything that he’s known here. His home is here in New York. He does not know any other place as home. The prospect of him having to start all over in a new place completely is really terrifying and really saddening for him and his family.”
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