Keep Huy Home: 40 Years in America

Good morning, Vietnam… I bet you said that in your best Robin Williams voice, didn’t you? Well, now is the time to learn it in Vietnamese so you’ll be able to speak to Huy in Vietnam.

We need your help. We have recently learned that Huy is going to be deported back to Vietnam. Here’s the story… Huy came to the U.S. in 1986 from Vietnam when he was 11 years old. He grew up in Des Moines, went to Hoover High School, and unfortunately got into some trouble with some kids his age. You know, wrong place, wrong time… He had not applied for citizenship before he was convicted of his crime, so he has been a permanent alien in the U.S. He served his time and was released on a permanent deportation order. This has never been a huge issue in the past because Vietnam had an agreement with the U.S. not to deport any refugee from Vietnam that came to the U.S. before 1995 because they were considered post-war refugees. Recently, to avoid tariffs and travel restrictions, Vietnam has changed their policies and started to accept pre-1995 refugees. This means Huy will be sent back to a country that he hasn’t seen in over 40 years.

We don’t have much time and we need your help. Huy will be leaving behind his wife, his kids, his elderly mother, his siblings, and hundreds of good friends. We need to try to see if there is anything at all we can do to keep him here. Immigration attorneys are extremely expensive; relocating to Vietnam is also expensive. We are a proud family and it is hard for us to ask for help. We would appreciate anything, any penny, more than you could ever imagine.

Thank you, the Tu Family.