Latest news with #Phan
The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Trump admin detains Vietnamese people who arrived as refugees
The Alabama warehouse worker served 15 years in prison for his involvement in a robbery that led to a shopkeeper's death. His wife of six years, Amy, 39, said she knew of the crime, which took place when he was 17. "I didn't hold it against him when I met him," she said. "I think people should be given second chances." For decades, both Republican and Democratic administrations agreed - at least for immigrants from Vietnam, a country the United States left in disgrace five decades years ago. Although immigrants from other countries were routinely deported after serving time for crimes, the Vietnamese were allowed to stay. Not anymore. In his first administration, President Donald Trump sought to end that special treatment. Four months into his second term, he has stepped up efforts to deport as many immigrants as possible, including Vietnamese. Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, said people like Phan deserve to be deported because of their criminal past. "Under President Trump and (DHS Secretary Kristi) Noem's leadership, ICE is continuing to protect Americans by detaining and removing criminal aliens," McLaughlin said in an emailed statement. Protections as refugees Fifty years after the fall of Saigon, these changes are leaving thousands of Vietnamese refugees like Phan in limbo, said Quyen Mai, executive director of the California-based nonprofit Vietnamese American Organization. "We feel we got abandoned again," he said. As of late May, the Trump administration had tried to remove at least one Vietnamese man to South Sudan, along with other migrants. On May 27, observers noted that at least one deportation flight appeared to have landed in Hanoi. Vietnam historically has not accepted deportations from the United States, except for a period during Trump's first administration. President Joe Biden largely halted such deportations when he came into office. Neither the Trump administration nor the Vietnamese government responded to questions about any changes to agreements for detaining Vietnamese immigrants or repatriating deportees. Although it's not clear how many Vietnamese immigrants will be affected, one Atlanta-based immigration attorney already represents more than a dozen now in detention. Through agreements between the nations, around 8,600 Vietnamese immigrants have been shielded from deportation despite prior convictions and removal orders, said Lee Ann Felder-Heim, an immigrant rights staff attorney at the San Francisco-based nonprofit Asian Law Caucus. After Black April in 1975, the first wave of 125,000 people fleeing Vietnam arrived in the United States. By 2000, nearly a million Vietnamese had settled here, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Most became permanent residents. "The U.S. government made a commitment to the people admitted as refugees that they would be protected," said Jana Lipman, a professor of history at Tulane University who studies Vietnamese refugee populations. Phan is among those who arrived as refugees before 1995, when the United States and Vietnam re-established relations 20 years after the end of the war. A lawsuit settled in 2021 has prevented extended detention for these early immigrants. The Biden administration limited their removal. The Trump administration now seeks to restart deportations. "This is a huge impediment to the president's deportation program," said Andrew Arthur, resident law and policy fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, a right-leaning think tank. Vietnam has been among the countries most "recalcitrant" to accept deportees, he added. And Trump's hardline removal policy looks forward rather than back to a a 50-year-old war, he said. Escape by boat Phan last saw Vietnam from a boat. He was born in 1982 to two farmers in Ben Tre, an agricultural province in southern Vietnam's Mekong Delta. His relatives, including his grandfather, fought for militias aligned with American-backed South Vietnam, according to his aunt's refugee application, which USA TODAY reviewed. They were sent to the new communist government's re-education prison camps and forced to do hard labor. Vietnamese officials seized part of their family's land. In the war-torn country, his parents made the decision to send a 7-year-old Phan with his aunt, Le Thi Phan, then 25, and her daughter, who was 3. After fleeing by boat, in 1989, they arrived in a Malaysian refugee camp, records showed. Two years later, American immigration officials accepted Phan and his relatives as refugees. He distinctly remembers his first sight of America. "The U.S. lit up like a Christmas tree," he told USA TODAY in a phone interview from a detention center. "It was magical." They settled in metropolitan Atlanta. He learned English, developing a Southern twang, and became his family's translator. He took care of two younger cousins. Bad choices and redemption Phan dropped out of school in 9th grade and went to live with other Vietnamese boys and men. He said he looked up to the wrong people. On July 3, 1999, then 17 and short on rent money, he and four others decided to rob a Vietnamese cafe. Detectives described them as customers who formed an "ad-hoc robbing crew." Several of the others beat the shopkeeper to death trying to get him to give up the money, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported at the time. Phan was sentenced as an adult and served nearly 15 years in Georgia prison, records show. An immigration judge issued a final removal order in 2002, while he was in prison. He received his GED and technical training certificates while behind bars. Since his release, in 2015, his family said he's had no run-ins with law enforcement. Phan said he worked seven days a week at Little Caesar's and in a nail salon until he met Amy on an online dating site. He got a stable job at a warehouse so he could spend more time with her. Their family, now with a toddler, moved to Alabama last year to be closer to Amy's sister, before she died in February. Arrest and detention On April 14, while waiting for his 11-year-old stepson and 3-year-old son to wake up, he heard a knock on the door. At the start of spring break, he thought his stepson's friends had come to start playing early. Instead, it was ICE agents and U.S. Marshals, who put him in handcuffs. Amy awoke to her husband calling out from the living room, where she saw several agents around her husband in handcuffs. Phan was confused. His work authorization is valid through September. They brought up his teenage conviction. "I did something wrong in the past, but nothing wrong now," Phan said. For two days, his wife couldn't find him. He finally got a minute-long call to tell her he was headed to the LaSalle Detention Center, in Jena, Louisiana, where the Trump administration has sent other detainees, including former Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil. In a TikTok video with over 940,000 views, Amy begged, "Give me my husband back." On a worn piece of paper addressed "To Whom It May Concern," his supervisor and nearly a dozen of his coworkers called Phan "an honorable individual, a leader for the company, and a valuable member of the community." They hoped the court took their letter into consideration. He received documents ordering him to leave the country, but he can't comply with those orders while he's in ICE custody. Amy, who hasn't been on a plane since she was a baby, now wonders what it might be like to live in Vietnam. Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@ or on Signal at emcuevas.01.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Man accused of throwing Molotov cocktail at Army tank in Florida
Florida officials charged a Minnesota man with attempted arson of federal property and possession of a Molotov cocktail by a convicted felon. On February 14, Trang Johnny Nha Phan, 25, attempted to set fire using a Molotov cocktail to a M-60 A-3 tank owned by the U.S. Army, according to a press release Tuesday from the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Middle District of Florida. The release didn't state where the alleged arson took place, other to say it happened within the Florida district. A report from WWSB ABC7 in Sarasota, however, said Phan's arrest came after the Molotov cocktail was thrown at a memorial tank on display outside a Veterans of Foreign Wars post. The quartermaster for the post told ABC7 that he witnessed the accused throw the incendiary device at the tank, but the bottle did not break and it rolled away from the tank without causing any damage. At the time, Phan had been convicted for threats of violence and possessing three grams or more of heroin, prosecutors say. Court records show Phan had been held in the Sarasota County Jail and pleaded not guilty to the charges in Tampa federal court on May 16. A trial is set for the week of July 7. If convicted, he faces a minimum of 35 years and up to 65 years in federal prison. Federal officials have also notified Phan they intend to seize assets that are traceable to the offense. The case is part of Operation Take Back America, an initiative using resources from the Department of Justice to 'repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.'
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
"We Feel We Got Abandoned Again": The story of Vietnamese refugees in Trump's deportation firing line
Huy Quoc Phan , a 43-year-old Vietnamese refugee, is the embodiment of the storm that has confronted thousands of Southeast Asian immigrants in the Trump administration's forceful policy of deportation. Phan, who came to the United States as a boy after escaping postwar Vietnam, has spent more than a month in a Louisiana detention facility wondering if he'll be sent back to a place he hasn't seen since he rode away on a boat as a child. Now an Alabama warehouse employee with an American wife, Amy, and kids, Phan's life hangs because of a criminal conviction from decades ago for his part in a robbery when he was 17 years old that resulted in the death of a shopkeeper. He spent 15 years behind bars and started over, but his fate in America now is not guaranteed. 'I did something wrong in the past, but nothing wrong now,' Phan said to USA Today. For decades, both the Republican and Democratic administrations protected Vietnamese refugees such as Phan from deportation, citing their specific status as war and displacement survivors. This protection was given to approximately 8,600 Vietnamese who arrived prior to 1995, when the U.S. and Vietnam normalized relations. Vietnam did not take back deportees from this group, and the Biden administration effectively ended such removals. But President Trump's second year in office has seen a dramatic reversal. The government has redoubled efforts to deport criminal immigrants , even long-standing favorites. "With President Trump and (DHS Secretary Kristi) Noem at the helm, ICE is continuing to safeguard Americans by arresting and removing criminal aliens," replied Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security. Live Events The overall context is a sweeping clampdown on immigrants and refugees. The Trump administration insists that it deported approximately 140,000 individuals till April 2025, and detention increased from 41,000 to more than 46,000 through mid-March. The policy has sanctioned ICE raids at vulnerable places and intensified the usage of detention centers , including contentious suggestions to utilize Guantanamo Bay for immigrant detainees. Humanitarian parole initiatives and legal safeguards for the vulnerable have been rolled back, not just impacting Vietnamese refugees but also huge numbers from Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti, and caution that the policies violate America's commitment to its allies in the war. "We feel we got abandoned again," Quyen Mai, executive director of the Vietnamese American Organization, stated. Legal scholars and historians insist that the U.S. government committed to safeguarding refugees such as Phan, who now stand to be returned to a land they hardly know, with few resources and extreme uncertainty. Phan's testimony brings to light the deep human implications of America's changing policy of deportation—a policy that, for some, revisits old wounds and raises sensitive issues about justice, redemption, and national responsibility.
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Miami Herald
Man tries to set fire to US Army tank, feds say. Now, he's indicted in Florida
A Minnesota man convicted of making violent threats tried to set a U.S. Army tank on fire on Valentine's Day with a 'Molotov cocktail,' federal prosecutors in Central Florida said. Now Trang Johnny Nha Phan, 25, has been indicted, according to a May 27 news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida. He faces one count of attempted arson of federal property, one count of possessing a Molotov cocktail as a convicted felon and one count of 'using a firearm' in furtherance of a crime of violence, his indictment shows. Phan pleaded not guilty to the charges in Tampa federal court on May 16, according to court records. Ashley G. Allen, a federal defender representing him, didn't immediately return McClatchy News' request for comment May 27. When Phan tried to ignite what prosecutors said was a memorial M-60 A-3 Army tank on Feb. 14, he had been convicted of prior offenses: 'threats of violence and possessing three grams or more of heroin.' Prosecutors didn't mention where the arson attempt occurred. In 1960, the first M-60 battle tanks were rolled out by the U.S. Army, according to Army Technology. In 1991, the M60 tank series were used during Operation Desert Storm during the Gulf War. In Phan's indictment, prosecutors wrote the tank he's accused of trying to burn is owned by the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command, which is headquartered in Michigan. Phan's jury trial is set for July 7 in Tampa, court records show. On May 16, he was ordered to be detained ahead of trial.
Borneo Post
23-05-2025
- Business
- Borneo Post
China offers global consumers fresh shopping experiences
Phan poses for a photo in Miao ethnic costumes at the Fenghuang ancient town in Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, central China's Hunan Province on Sept 2, 2024. – Xinhua photo TIANJIN (May 24): Mok Jin Jin, a Malaysian student at Nankai University in north China's Tianjin Municipality, has observed a shift in his family's lifestyle since they received a Chinese-made blender. His mother now frequently tries new healthy breakfast beverages like soy milk, milkshakes and freshly made juices. She particularly appreciates the one-button self-cleaning function, which saves her time and effort. Not long ago, Mok purchased the blender through a Chinese e-commerce platform as a gift for his family. 'Chinese-made products excel in performance and design. They not only improve the living quality but also fulfill consumers' expectations of modern consumption,' Mok said. The notion that Chinese products were 'cheap and low-quality' was for long a common stereotype. However, in recent years, China has made significant strides in technological innovation and industrial upgrades, resulting in a remarkable improvement in the competitiveness of Chinese products. At the same time, China's increasingly diverse consumer market has provided foreign consumers with a more international, fashionable and multifaceted shopping experience. 'International brands are ubiquitous in China's major cities, and global products are easily accessible through online shopping platforms. 'This has made shopping in China extremely convenient,' Mok said. He was also pleasantly surprised to find several Malaysian food brands available in Chinese supermarkets and on e-commerce platforms. 'It's wonderful to be able to enjoy familiar tastes while abroad,' he said. Phan Dinh Thang, a Vietnamese student studying Chinese at Nankai University, echoed this sentiment. 'Shopping in China feels like 'global shopping' with an incredibly wide range of options,' he said. As more Vietnamese people learn Chinese, they find it easier to purchase quality products on Chinese e-commerce platforms. Thanks to China's robust supply chain system and efficient logistics network, goods shipped from China to Vietnam not only arrive quickly but are also cost-effective and often more affordable than local options in Vietnam. 'This has made 'Chinese shopping' a new trend in Vietnam and highlights the increasingly close consumer ties between China and Vietnam,' Phan explained. With China continuously optimising its international consumption environment, such as offering visa exemptions for some countries, enhancing departure tax refund policies and expanding international credit card payment channels – making shopping trips to China a new trend in cross-border tourism. Maltseva Varvara, a Russian visitor, shared her experience: 'The best thing about shopping in China is how fast, convenient and hassle-free it is.' After linking her international credit card to Alipay, Varvara found it easy to pay as she simply needed to scan via her phone by using a quick tap on its screen. 'The recent improvements in the departure tax refund policy have made shopping and traveling in China even more convenient and welcoming.' Some overseas consumers have formed 'shopping groups' and flown long distances to China to purchase popular products. According to data from China's Ministry of Commerce, the number of foreign visitors to Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Tianjin and southwest China's Chongqing in 2024 was nearly double the figure of the previous year. These five cities are home to almost 70 per cent of China's tax refund stores, while their imports of consumer goods accounted for over half of China's total last year. Foreign consumption in China has seen a noticeable increase. The National Immigration Administration reported that, since the implementation of a 240-hour visa-free transit policy, the number of foreign visitors has grown by 40.2 per cent year on year, with 71.3 per cent of them entering visa-free. The recent signing of a visa exemption agreement between China and Malaysia has made travel for Malaysian tourists more convenient. 'It's much easier for my friends and family to visit China now, and they get to experience firsthand the increasingly convenient living environment and vibrant consumer market here,' Mok said. China's Vice Commerce Minister Sheng Qiuping recently stated that China will continue to improve its international consumption environment, increase the supply of high-quality products, and create more diversified consumption scenarios to boost inbound consumption. Li Wei, dean of the Honor College of Tianjin Foreign Studies University, said that China is fostering an open, inclusive and diverse consumption environment that appeals to foreign visitors. 'This offers more opportunities for global consumers and businesses.' – Xinhua China consumer Made in China shopping Xinhua
