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Thursday, September 11, 2025
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US Orders Release of Lao Refugee Facing Deportation

This Week

Alan Phetsadakone, a 47-year-old Lao refugee in the United States, was released from federal custody on 6 September after a month and a half in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Tacoma, Washington. 

The man was released after a District Court ruling that temporarily blocked his deportation to Laos. 

Phetsadakone was apprehended on 21 July during a routine check-in with the authorities, which he had attended faithfully for more than twenty years.

In his late teens, he pleaded guilty to a nonviolent federal bank fraud offense, for which he served his sentence. 

Since 1997, he had consistently attended annual check-ins with ICE and lived under supervision without incident for more than two decades.

Judge Grants Temporary Restraining Order

On 5 September, Judge Jamal Whitehead issued a temporary restraining order, citing serious concerns over procedural issues related to Phetsadakone’s detention. 

The judge also questioned the validity of the decades-old criminal conviction that initially triggered his deportation order. The ruling prevents deportation until further legal proceedings determine the case’s outcome.

Legal representatives argued that Phetsadakone’s original defense attorney failed to properly inform him of the deportation risk tied to his guilty plea, violating his Sixth Amendment rights. 

They also noted that ICE had not provided prior notification that his release had been revoked before his arrest in July.

Life in the U.S. and Community Support

Phetsadakone has lived in the United States since he was two years old, arriving as a refugee from Laos in 1981, and has maintained lawful permanent resident status for decades, according to the Seattle Times.

His family and community rallied strongly around him during his detention. His wife, Cheryl Eugenio, and their three children were actively involved in supporting him, along with neighbors, local organizations, and supporters who contributed to a GoFundMe campaign that raised nearly USD 10,000. 

Phetsadakone’s attorneys, family members, and community supporters noted that his life, family, and work are all based in the United States, and that deportation to a country where he has no connections would be highly disruptive. 

They also highlighted that Phetsadakone does not speak Lao fluently and cannot read the language

Meanwhile, the federal government told the court it had reached an agreement with Laos to provide travel documents and claimed deportation was imminent. 

In recent months, the U.S. has intensified deportations to countries where individuals have few or no personal ties, a practice that has included Laos, South Sudan, Uganda, and El Salvador.

While the temporary restraining order provides immediate relief, Alan Phetsadakone’s long-term status remains uncertain, pending further hearings and judicial decisions.

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