Fund legal fees to help refugee avoid ICE arrest
Thisaphone Sothiphakhak — Teace to his friends — is asking for your help obtaining a state and federal pardon for an already expunged cannabis misdemeanor, to clear a path for U.S. citizenship and avoid the threat of further ICE detention. Please help Teace pay for his legal bills by donating to his cause. Our goal is $10,000.
Teace arrived in the United States as a 2-year-old refugee in 1977. His family faced threats in Thailand because his father, Khambo Sothiphakhak, helped U.S. intelligence fight communist forces in North Vietnam. Khambo started the naturalization process but couldn’t complete it before he died of brain cancer — a condition believed to be caused by exposure to Agent Orange.
Years later, and despite having permanent legal status in the U.S., Teace found himself imprisoned. The events were triggered in 2011, when Teace applied for citizenship in the U.S. He was denied citizenship over an expunged 5th degree marijuana charge, and he landed on ICE’s radar. In 2015, ICE agents came to his home, armed with the citizenship paperwork he hoped would help him gain even more rights. They arrested and detained Teace for more than two weeks. He describes terrible conditions — no toilet, sleep deprivation under the 24-hour glare of buzzing neon lights, constant sounds of tortured screams. He had to beg for water and ended up on a hunger strike to protest the unconstitutional torture he was forced to withstand. He was released only after a concerted effort from the Twin Cities community where he is a contributing member of society.
Now, Teace is fighting for a state and federal pardon to clear a path for U.S. citizenship. There is a constant risk that he will be arrested again at any time and held in ICE detention. The U.S. is unable to deport Teace because he has no record of citizenship in any country. He has no birth certificate, is unable to travel, and cannot obtain a passport or REAL ID card.
Despite these struggles, Teace continues to contribute to the economic and cultural vibrancy of the Twin Cities as a full-time employee of an arts nonprofit that creates positive change through the arts. He was even featured in a mural on the historic State Theatre building in Minneapolis when it was boarded up in 2020. The photo on this page is an image from that mural. Prior to his arrest, Teace worked full time at Wells Fargo and brought joy to people with a side gig as a DJ.
Since his arrest in 1997, Teace displays remorse and has avoided any exposure to marijuana.
How you can help
- Donate to Thisaphone Sothiphakhak’s GoFundMe account to fund his legal fees.
- Sign and share a Change.org petition [change.org/PardonTeace] to get Governor Tim Walz and President Joe Biden to grant Thisaphone Sothiphakhak full pardons of his expunged marijuana charges, clearing a path to citizenship.
- Post Teace’s story on your social media accounts and ask your friends to support Teace’s legal battle.