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Minnesota man faces deportation ‘death sentence’
A Minnesota man is facing deportation over decades-old felony convictions, but says if that happens, he’ll likely die because of his many health problems. FOX 9’s Mike Manzoni has the story.
ROCHESTER, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Minnesota man’s fight to stay in the United States has become a matter of life and death as he faces deportation to Laos.
Facing deportation after decades in the U.S.
What we know:
La Thammavong, 52, takes more than a dozen medications each day and regularly visits the Mayo Clinic to manage serious health conditions, including heart failure and kidney issues.
"It can be a death sentence to me. I don’t have no medication. Over there, it’s kind of hard to find medication," said Thammavong.
Thammavong, who said he came to the United States legally as a child refugee in 1989, fears he will not be able to get the medications he needs to survive if he is sent back to Laos.
"My heart could stop anytime, any moment," he said.
Mary Thammavong, his wife, agreed that the deportation could prove deadly.
"It’s life-threatening. It’s basically a death sentence," she said.
Thammavong’s doctor at the Mayo Clinic wrote in a letter on July 4 that without his medication "his kidney transplant would like[ly] fail, which would likely result in death."
How ICE became involved
What they're saying:
Thammavong’s wife said her husband’s recent issues with immigration authorities began after she was followed by agents in Rochester in January.
"They followed me to Walmart," she recalled.
She said ICE agents followed her after she recorded them in a neighborhood.
When they ran her plates, her husband’s name came up because he owns the car.
Her exchange with the agents was captured on video.
An ICE agent told her: "He wasn’t even on our radar. He’s like – he had the final order as a Threat Level 1. So, you just – you just aided in your husband’s deportation. I hope that you feel real good."
Thammavong’s deportation order stems from two assault convictions in 1994, which sent him to prison for three years, his wife said.
"My friend who was sitting behind me handed me the gun," he recalled, explaining that he shot at a house during a confrontation but did not hit anyone. "I was young and stupid. I don’t know anything at all."
His wife said he has already been held accountable.
"Sending him back there for the mistakes he’s already paid for and did his time for. He’s grown. He accepts responsibility for his past. It’s just wrong. You’re giving him another death sentence," she said.
Thammavong’s wife plans to follow him to Laos if he is deported.
Thammavong’s future remains uncertain
What's next:
Thammavong’s interview with the pardon board is scheduled for Aug. 7.
He hopes that a pardon could help him stay in the United States since he said his deportation is based on the decades-old felony convictions.
But it is unclear if a pardon would help since he is uncertain about his current legal status.
What we don't know:
Homeland Security officials did not respond to a request for comment.