Hi, my name is Diana Le, and I am raising funds to help my father, who has been deported and urgently needs support to rebuild his life in a country he has not stepped foot in since he was 13 years old.
My father is a 64-year-old single father who has always worked tirelessly to care for his family. He has been the sole provider and caretaker for his disabled brother, his children, and his grandchildren. He has dedicated his entire life to making sure we were safe, supported, and loved.
In early May of last year, during a routine check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), something he had faithfully complied with every year, my father was detained. He was released in late June after community lawyers filed a habeas petition and ICE was unable to present travel documents for his deportation.
Last month, he was unexpectedly called into the ICE office again. He complied, as he always has, and was detained. After several weeks in custody, he was deported to Vietnam.
He is now forced to resettle again; in the same country he fled in 1979 as a refugee of war after surviving a re-education camp. He came to the United States seeking safety and the opportunity to build a better future for his family.
For decades, he lived an honest and peaceful life here in the U.S., attending every required check-in and doing everything asked of him. The day he reported, as instructed, was the day our family’s world was turned upside down.
After years of hardship and lost time, my father was only just beginning to rebuild relationships and reconnect with loved ones. Now, at 64 years old, he must start over once again in a country he barely knows, without a support system, stability, or resources. His sudden deportation has devastated our family emotionally and financially.
We are humbly asking for your help. The funds raised will go toward obtaining essential legal paperwork, including personal identification documents needed to reestablish his life in Vietnam, and covering basic living expenses as he starts over completely alone.
My father spent decades working in the hardwood flooring industry, doing physically demanding labor to provide for his family and faithfully paying taxes year after year. He gave everything he had to support his loved ones and never had the opportunity to build retirement savings for himself. Now, at 64 years old, he has been forced to leave behind the only home he has known for over 40 years, with no savings, no stability, and no safety net.
His deportation has left a deep void in our family. We are doing everything we can to support him from thousands of miles away, but it is incredibly difficult to help him rebuild in a country where he has no foundation and no one by his side. The emotional and financial weight on our family is overwhelming.
My father’s story was recently featured in The Boston Globe, highlighting the impact of recent ICE enforcement actions on families like ours. You can read the article here:
Any contribution, no matter the amount, would mean more than words can express. If you are unable to donate, please consider sharing our story with your friends, family, and community.
Thank you for taking the time to read our story and for standing with our family during this incredibly difficult time.
With gratitude,
Diana Le