Missouri mom whose detention rocked a small MAGA town has been released
Residents of Kennett, Missouri, are celebrating the release of Ming Li Hui, who goes by the name of Carol, after the mother of three was released from immigration custody on Wednesday following more than a month in jail.
'They released me,' Hui said in a voicemail left for her lawyer, which was relayed to The New York Times. According to the Times, Hui's attorney, Raymond Bolourtchi, said the 45-year-old 'had been released under a federal immigration program that offers a 'temporary safe haven' to immigrants from Hong Kong and a handful of other countries who are concerned about returning there.'
Hui arrived in the U.S. from Hong Kong two decades ago and was detained on April 30 after she was summoned to a federal immigration office in St. Louis without explanation. Once there, authorities informed her she was being detained for overstaying her tourist visa and would soon be deported.
The residents of Kennett quickly banded together to rally for Hui's release. The staff at John's Waffle and Pancake House, the diner where Hui had worked before her detention, organized an event last month called 'Carol Day,' raising nearly $20,000 and collecting hundreds of signatures for a petition to 'bring Carol home.'
For the residents of Kennett, which is part of a rural county that voted overwhelmingly for Trump in November, Hui's arrest has forced them to confront the reality of the president's mass deportation effort.
'I voted for Donald Trump, and so did practically everyone here,' one resident told the Times. 'But no one voted to deport moms. We were all under the impression we were just getting rid of the gangs, the people who came here in droves … This is Carol.'
Bolourtchi said Hui's release 'never would have happened without her community standing behind her.'
On Wednesday, one of Hui's neighbors made the four-hour journey to the jail where she was being held to drive her home. In Kennett, Hui's family and dozens of residents gathered at the restaurant to celebrate her return.
Liridona Ramadani, whose family runs the diner, described Hui's homecoming in a post on Facebook. 'One moment we'll never forget: when her kids ran into her arms for the first time in over a month. There wasn't a dry eye in sight,' Ramadani wrote. 'Many of us stood there with tears streaming down our faces, overwhelmed by the pure love in that hug. It was one of those moments that reminds you what truly matters … Welcome home, Carol. We've missed you so much.'
Hui is scheduled to check in with immigration authorities again on June 25. While Hui's release is temporary, her lawyer said he was hopeful she can remain in the U.S.
'By no means are we in the clear,' Bolourtchi told the Times. 'But at this point I'm optimistic. It's an immediate sigh of relief.'
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
2 hours ago
- Axios
The great poaching: America's brain drain begins
The Trump administration's spending cuts and restrictions on foreign students are triggering a brain drain — and American scientists are panicking. Why it matters: U.S. researchers' fears are coming true. America's science pipeline is drying up, and countries like China are seizing the opportunity to surge ahead. 'This is such a race for being the science powerhouse that you never fully recover,' says Marcia McNutt, president of the National Academy of Sciences. 'You might accelerate back up to 60, but you can't make up for those years when you were at a standstill while the competition was racing ahead.' Driving the news: The National Science Foundation, which funds much of America's fundamental science research, is already doling out grants at its slowest pace in 35 years, The New York Times reports. More cuts to science could come with the "big, beautiful bill." Universities are also watching with bated breath as the administration tries to limit the number of foreign students studying in the U.S.. Harvard is pushing back, but could face a total ban on recruiting internationally. The Trump administration says it will " aggressively revoke" visas for Chinese students studying in "critical fields." By the numbers: While American universities are rescinding offers to incoming PhD students, other countries are recruiting heavily from U.S. labs. The journal Nature analyzed data from its jobs platform to track where scientists are looking for work. In the first few months of the Trump administration, there were jumps in the the number of U.S. applicants looking for jobs in Canada (+41%), Europe (+32%), China (+20%) and other Asian countries (+39%), compared to the same period in 2024. U.S. jobs saw fewer applications from candidates in Canada (–13%) and Europe (–41%). Case in point: France's Aix-Marseille University, which made headlines for earmarking millions of dollars for U.S. scientists, closed its application window after receiving a flood of apps. After American Nobel laureate Ardem Patapoutian's federal grant was frozen, he got an email from China offering 20 years of funding if he relocates his lab, The New York Times' Kate Zernike writes. He declined. 'This is a once-in-a-century brain gain opportunity,' the Australian Strategic Policy Institute wrote in a brief. The other side: The White House argues that its changes to the system will usher in a golden age of science and rebuild public trust. President Trump has also suggested that spots freed up by rejecting international students could be filled by American applicants. But professors say this isn't entirely realistic. "In hard sciences, in astronomy and physics and computer science, for example, there's no way you would fill that hole with local applicants of comparable quality," says Chris Impey, an astronomer at the University of Arizona. What to watch: 'The optimistic part of all of us thinks science is strong enough to outlast one administration, and for a while I thought that, but the hit to young people is at the center of the whole enterprise,' Impey says. 'It's like pulling the rug out from under the whole thing." It's not just brain drain of existing talent, he says. Students who are in high school and college now and thinking about a career in research might reconsider. "There's plenty of things smart kids can do. They don't have to go into science." At the same time, McNutt says she tells students: "If you went into graduate school in the fall of this year, by the time you get your PhD, this madness may be over. You come out with your new PhD ready to fill the gap."
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Jesse Watters Trots Out Dehumanizing Analogy for Kilmar Abrego Garcia's Return
Fox News host Jesse Watters criticized the Trump administration for bringing Kilmar Abrego Garcia back to the United States, saying the wrongly deported man's return was like taking a rental car to the car wash. 'I don't think they should have brought him back,' Watters said on The Five, shortly after news broke that Abrego Garcia is facing two counts of human smuggling in Tennessee. 'This is a national security situation. The guy is a designated terrorist. He belongs somewhere else. What are we going to do? We're going to spend two years and $50 million trying this guy and imprisoning this guy, feeding him, giving him healthcare, and then flying him home?' Watters said incredulously. 'This is like renting a car and taking it to a car wash before you return it,' he added. 'What's the point? It's not your car, and it's going back anyway.' Attorney General Pam Bondi said Abrego Garcia would first serve time in a U.S. prison if convicted, then be removed from the country once again. Garcia had been held in El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Center even after the Trump administration admitted his deportation was an 'administrative error.' When the Supreme Court ordered that it 'facilitate' his return, the White House insisted that it was powerless to do so. Friday's events proved the administration was lying, The Five co-host Jessica Tarlov said Friday. '[White House Press Secretary] Karoline Leavitt—as well as other members of the administration, from the president himself to Kristi Noem—lied to the American people when they said they couldn't bring him back,' Tarlov said. 'Well, I guess you could get him back.' Andrew Rossman, a lawyer for Abrego Garcia, made the same point. 'Today's action proves what we've known all along—that the administration had the ability to bring him back and just refused to do so,' he told The New York Times. 'It's now up to our judicial system to see that Mr. Abrego Garcia receives the due process that the Constitution guarantees to all persons.' Abrego Garcia was sent to Tennessee, where the indictment was filed in May and unsealed Friday. The Times reports that an imprisoned man's information about Abrego Garcia moved the case forward. Prosecutors couldn't agree how to proceed, however, and one ended up resigning.
Business Insider
9 hours ago
- Business Insider
Trump Ready to Ditch His Tesla Car amid Musk Fallout: 'I Might Just Get Rid of It'
WASHINGTON — June 7, 2025 President Donald Trump is distancing himself from Elon Musk—publicly and materially. According to The Washington Post, Trump has told aides in recent days that he is considering selling or giving away the red Tesla (TSLA) Model S he purchased in March, a gesture that once symbolized his support for Musk. Confident Investing Starts Here: 'I might just get rid of it,' Trump told aides, according to a senior White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The car, still parked near the White House as of this week, has become a visible casualty of the rapidly souring relationship between Trump and Musk. The split followed Musk's harsh criticism of the administration's latest domestic policy bill, which he publicly called a 'disgusting abomination.' That comment triggered a sharp response from the president, both publicly and privately. On Air Force One, when asked by a reporter about Musk's alleged drug use, Trump replied: 'I don't want to comment on his drug use. I don't know what his status is.' 'I read an article in The New York Times. I thought it was, frankly, it sounded very unfair to me.' But privately, Trump has reportedly told associates that Musk is 'crazy' and blamed his behavior on drug use, according to The New York Times. Musk Gave No Public Comment on the Car—But a Hint at Peace? As of Saturday afternoon, Elon Musk has not issued any public statement specifically addressing Trump's decision to unload the Tesla. However, he did respond to a suggestion from investor Bill Ackman on X that the two men should reconcile for the good of the country. 'You're not wrong,' Musk replied—his only recent public comment that could be interpreted as a gesture toward de-escalation. Beyond that, Musk has been active on X in recent days, directing criticisms at others, including Steve Bannon and critics of Tesla, but has avoided commenting directly on Trump's actions regarding the car or federal contracts. Trump Weighs Tesla Breakup The sale—or symbolic disposal—of the Tesla would mark a final, visual severing of a political and personal alliance that once had significant policy weight. Musk had been one of Trump's most prominent business backers, and the March purchase of the Model S was, at the time, framed by aides as a nod of approval to the entrepreneur's role in the administration. Now, according to officials, the car is being referred to inside the West Wing as a political relic. And while no final decision has been made, staff say it's become a quiet but pointed symbol of Trump's intent to distance himself from Musk for good. Trump himself, speaking about Musk during a press gaggle on June 6, said: 'I'm very disappointed in Elon. I've helped Elon a lot.' Whether the car is sold, donated, or simply removed from view, it now stands as a monument to one of the most dramatic falling-outs in recent political history. Is Tesla Stock Still a Buy? Meanwhile, Wall Street isn't exactly bullish on Musk's flagship automaker. According to TipRanks, Tesla currently holds a 'Hold' rating based on 37 analyst reviews over the past three months. It's a split camp: 16 analysts rate it a Buy, 10 say Hold, and 11 recommend Sell — a clear reflection of the uncertainty swirling around the company. The market seems just as cautious. The average 12-month price target for TSLA is $284.37, suggesting a 3.7% downside from its current level.
