[Vnbiz] Illegal Vietnamese face US deportation By MARGIE MASON, Associated Press Writer

[Tai Phan]

Illegal Vietnamese face US deportation

By MARGIE MASON, Associated Press Writer Tue Jan 22, 6:55 PM ET

HANOI, Vietnam - Thousands of Vietnamese living illegally in the United
States now face deportation after the two countries completed an agreement
Tuesday, a move that sparked worry among immigrant communities.
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Vietnamese who entered the U.S. illegally after the former foes normalized
relations in 1995 could now be forced to return to their birth country, said
Julie Myers, director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The deal has been under negotiation for 10 years. Vietnam had previously
been reluctant to accept citizens back, and community leaders in the U.S.
said many immigrants have been living with deportation orders for years,
even decades.

"Some Vietnamese have been here have a very long time," said Carolyn Tran,
an organizer with VietUnity, an Oakland-based Vietnamese community
organization. "They don't have a connection there any more."

Myers did not say how many Vietnamese are believed to be living illegally in
the United States.

About 6,200 Vietnamese were given final deportation orders before the
agreement's completion, and 1,500 more are involved in proceedings to
eventually be sent home, she said during a visit to Vietnam.

The repatriation agreement provides steps for the U.S. to deport the
Southeast Asian country's citizens who lack required documents, and for
Vietnam to receive them.

"Vietnam has actually been a country that has been problematic for a long
time, and this agreement we believe marks a new step toward making this
process move more smoothly," Myers told The Associated Press.

More than 1.5 million overseas Vietnamese — the largest population outside
Vietnam — live in the United States. Many fled their native country in boats
after the Vietnam War ended in 1975 and northern communist forces took
control of the former South Vietnam, which the U.S. had backed.

Critics of the agreement wonder whether this pact won't be rolled back to
include others who entered the United States in the 70s and 80s.

"There is concern," said Joren Lyons, a staff attorney with the Asian Law
Caucus in San Francisco, which has represented dozens of Vietnamese facing
deportation orders. "Vietnam has said for decades no, these people can't be
returned to Vietnam, and now they're saying yes. So is this a foot in the
door? Will they start accepting people who came earlier as well?"

___

Associated Press Writer Juliana Barbassa in San Francisco contributed to
this report.
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