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MN man deported to Laos documents new life
A Minnesota man was deported to Laos even though he isn't from there and doesn't speak the language. FOX 9's Mike Manzoni has more.
VIENTIANE, Laos (FOX 9) - A South St. Paul man is adapting to life after being deported to Laos. He had never been there before, and he does not speak the local language.
'It was rough': Adjusting to life in Laos after deportation
What we know:
Zong Yang was detained by federal agents in February during the final days of Operation Metro Surge and deported last month over a 1999 felony burglary conviction in Wisconsin.
The backstory:
He was born in a Hmong refugee camp in Thailand in 1977 and legally immigrated to the United States when he was 3-years-old.
After a week-long journey covering more than 8,000 miles, Yang arrived in Laos on May 8. He is now living in the capital city of Vientiane with several roommates, all of whom are also deportees.
"This is where I sleep, with a fan, window, no curtain," he said in a video posted on social media that showed his new apartment. "That’s the light, light switch, dirty walls."
He also showed the empty kitchen and a dingy bathroom.
"That toilet doesn’t work," he said in the video. "You got to flush it down with water."
Yang explained that he and his roommates have to bathe using buckets, pouring water over themselves like a bird bath.
But despite the challenges, he tries to stay positive.
"I don’t want to break down, which I’m in a total different country I don’t know nothing about," he said. "If I break down it’s hard, so I try to keep my spirits –. My wife is always there, talk to my kids. They’re always there to help me. So, I just look to the better days."
Local perspective:
Yang is unsure if his family will eventually join him in Laos, but he cannot return to the United States. He is now permanently barred.
He is working to obtain his Laos citizenship and find a job. He said the workdays there are often 12 hours long and the pay is low, between $10 and $15 per day.
The other side:
Homeland Security officials called him a "criminal illegal alien" and blamed the Carter administration for allowing him into the country in 1980.