Thousands of immigrants in the US have been or are in the process of being deported, but what if their country of origin doesn’t want them back? As strange as that might sound, that happens to be the unfortunate case for one Washington immigrant who came to the US as a Vietnam War refugee. He initially came to the country around age 5 and is now in his 40s, and the government wants him out. The issue is that Vietnam doesn’t want him either, as it won’t issue him the proper travel documents. Now, he owes the Department of Homeland Security almost $2 million for failing to leave.
In a letter sent to him by the DHS, the Vietnam War refugee needs to pay the government $1,820,352, according to KING 5 News. For extra context, he was ordered to leave as far back as 2007, but has been unable to self-deport, considering he has nowhere to go without a passport. And without a passport, there’s no carrier or airline that will take him anywhere. “Short of getting on a boat and paddling out to sea, what exactly is he meant to do?” questions a Redditor. “It’s absurd to even want him to leave. He’s lived here for over 40 years, works and contributes to our society,” argued another.
Many Vietnam War Refugees Aren’t Able to Go Back to Vietnam
The Washington immigrant’s attorney has noted that he does have a legal work permit, which is how he’s been able to survive in the States all these years. Even so, it’s awful that both the US and Vietnam don’t want him. As one commenter points out, there are actually many Vietnam War refugees who can’t go back to their home country, even voluntarily. “It’s based on the timing of when they left,” they explain. “So this is basically like fining children because they won’t go into a bar or a casino.”
For example, CBC News Saskatchewan has reported that a Vietnamese man living in Canada is unable to return to his country. He’s now in his 60s but has been through quite a journey, escaping to the Philippines and then being brought to Canada. While the unnamed man who owes the DHS hasn’t shared much about his past with the press, it’s likely that he and his family struggled to escape the war. Just, he probably wasn’t expecting to be billed around $2 million by the US government.
