6.18.2007

last chance for the vangs

There is a significant community movement rallying around the Vangs, a Hmong American family in Michigan who face deportment after spending 18 years in the United States. They own a successful restaurant in Dearborn, but Guy and Genevieve Vang may soon find their days in the United States numbered.

They escaped from Laos as children, immigrated to France, and eventually made their way to America where they their planted roots and sought asylum. But it turns out, they couldn't technically seek asylum because they were already French citizens—by U.S. standards, they had a "safe harbor" in France.

Unfortunately, it took the INS their damn sweet time—more than a decade—to figure out the Vangs shouldn't be allowed to stay. Here's an article from back in April, with background on their situation: Business: Family's business future at stake.

A few weeks ago, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals denied the family's case to remain in the United States. After a long fight to stay in the country -- it's lasted for several years -- it seems that the Vangs have pretty much exhausted all of their legal options with the INS.

Thus, a petition has been started to implore Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, as well as U.S. Representatives Sander Levin and John Dingell, to intervene on the family's behalf: Let the Vang Family Stay!. This could be their last hope to stay in the country, or else lose the lives they've built for themselves over the last eighteen years.

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