An open letter from the sister of a Cambodian refugee on the verge of deportation, and a very uncertain future.
 Courtesy: sloonewordpress.com |
(ELOY, Az.) - Forward by editor: We should all be shocked and horrified after reading this letter about the plight of a young woman whose heritage is marred and tangled by the bad deeds of governments including the United States, Thailand and Cambodia. The U.S. fought a war in Vietnam that bled into Cambodia in 1970 and then was followed by a wind down period and eventual withdrawal of the last American combat troops from SE Asia in 1975. The U.S. destabilized the government of Cambodia in order to take the Vietnam War there, then left that fractured nation to the genocidal will of Pol Pot, leader of the deadly, feared Khmer Rouge communists, who killed Cambodians by the millions, as portrayed in the movie, "Killing Fields".
The U.S. created a huge refugee problem in Cambodia, and today it should not forcefully deport a productive young woman adopted to American ways, back to Thailand, where her single past California drug conviction means an instant death sentence when she is returned. It is the act of a coward to create this historic scenario and then plunge an individual back to a primitive place with ruthless laws. For important background information, visit this link after reading the letter: (Removing Refugees: U.S. Deportation Policy and the Cambodian-American Community - Report Highlights Human Rights Impact of Immigration Laws) Finally, if you want to help this young woman, write to me and I will forward the email on. tim@salem-news.com.
To Whom It May Concern:
As I sit here writing you this letter, my sister is detained in Eloy, Arizona awaiting deportation to Thailand. Mind you, she is Cambodian. Both parents are Cambodian. She just so happened to be born in a refugee camp in Thailand after our parents fled Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge regime in hopes of seeking refuge elsewhere. She was originally charged with Code Section 11379A back in 2004 and was placed on probation at the time. She ended up violating the probation terms when she did not enroll in a drug program as ordered. She was very young, stupid and irresponsible. Because of the violations, she was ordered to serve 2 years state prison in Chowchilla, CA in 2005.
Due to good behavior, she only ended up serving half the time and then was placed on ICE (Immigration Customs Enforcement) hold in Eloy, AZ from 2006 – 2007. During her detainment in Eloy, she grew anxious, afraid, worried, hopeless and stressed over the fate of her future. She was so confused because she served her time and maintained good behavior but yet, there was no word of her release date.
And so, she began talking to people (fellow inmates and officers) and started seeking their advice. She was told to do this and do that, file this and file that in order to receive a quicker release date. What was she to do? She was young, afraid, and uneducated about the system and laws and how everything works. So apparently, she gave up her Resident Alien Card, she waived her rights as a legal resident in the US, and she accepted a possible deportation sentence. She had no idea what she was signing at that time of mental distress.
All she knew was that she wanted to be home with her family and the ones that she loves. In signing over all these rights, she was released to me in November 2007. Since then, she has changed her life around. She has stayed out of trouble and focused on bettering herself. It was difficult to find work with her criminal history, but she managed to do so. She held down a few jobs and assisted me with my monthly expenses.
She helped me with babysitting and house chores. She did not use drugs of any kind and did everything in her power to avoid conflict with the law. She was finally pulling her life together and was excited about what the future may possibly hold for her.
That little hope of faith was shattered on Friday, Aug 27th, 2010. She was doing her monthly routine check-ins with her ISAP officers and was then cuffed and told that she will be deported Monday morning. The manner in which this was conducted was both heartless and insensitive.
They did not even grant her wish to hug her husband, who accompanied her to all these meetings. We (her family and I) were driven by rage and desperation and managed to seek the assistance of lawyer, Sanjay Sobti from US Law Center in Corona. Money is extremely scarce but with the help and support of close friends and families, we were able to come up with enough. Sanjay was able to put a temporary stop on her deportation this past Monday and bought us another week or two. Since that dreadful Friday several days ago, her situation went from bad to worst.
We are now not only facing her possible deportation to Thailand (a country not of origin or descent), but also the possible death penalty, as Thailand has a zero tolerance for drug/substance related cases. Please explain to me how something this simple got totally blown out of proportion and now my sister’s life is at stake…literally!
Sanjay is working hard (with what little time we have) to file joint motions to reopen her case in Eloy, Arizona as well as requesting an asylum in Thailand (should she be deported), and filing a removal of cancellation of deportation. Again, we have a week…maybe two to get this situated. If not, my sister can very well be on her way to a death sentence. You cannot begin to fathom the emotions raging through our blood right now.
How can something as simple as a first and only offense turn into a death call?
Where is the justice in any of this?
How can you send a Cambodian to another country (only because she happens to be born in their refugee camp) with no family, no friends, and no knowledge of their culture or language? That is just completely absurd!!! We don’t know what to expect at this point. We are hoping and praying that justice will be served and she will be set free…. to be given a second chance to live her life!!!
If she gets deported, she will DIE.
If that is the case, why even deport her?
Just put her in a room, line her loved ones up, and murder her in our presence. That’s better than sending her to be slaughtered in a world so far away. At least this way, we can witness for ourselves the injustice of this system we call THE LAW!!!
Written By: Kousal Sok September 2, 1010
1 comment:
This law is a fuckup law that needs to be ratified.
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