My brother’s name is Thong Thao. His story is similar to many Hmong refugee stories, with our family fleeing the country of Laos after the Vietnam War. We immigrated to the USA as refugees in 1980 and have lived in the Central Valley most of our lives.

When my brother was 18 years old, with a lack of maturity and proper judgment, he committed crimes and was sentenced to 13 years in jail. He was released when he was 31 years old and had to adjust to the now-changed world that he’d left behind.

He adapted and eventually met and married my sister-in-law. Together, they struggled and toiled the land as rice farmers to make ends meet. They worked 9 to 5 jobs as well, in order to give their 6 kids what they needed. He and his wife were proud of the life that they’d made for their family.

But on June 31, 2025, he checked in at his annual immigration meeting in Fresno. In that moment, he was detained by ICE and was not allowed to return home with his wife, as he had in the years prior.

He was sent to Mesa Verde and California City detention facilities.

Despite family members' written emails to Governor Newsom and ICE to allow him to be home with his family before his final deportation, he was locked up and separated for over 100 days.

He will be sent back to Laos, a country that he is not familiar with. He will be without his wife and kids. He will be without his mother and siblings. He will be without extended family to surround him with love and support.

Along with my family, we are asking for any financial support that you are willing to help with. This money will go to support my brother in starting his new life in Laos. No donation is too small.

As his sister, I am deeply saddened that my brother finds himself in this predicament. He is a good man who made mistakes in his past. He is a nurturing father to his children and a loving husband to his wife. He is a supportive big brother and cousin. He realized the mistakes he’d made as a kid and stood proud of what he’d accomplished in the middle part of his life.

Thank you for reading his story. Thank you for your support. Thank you for helping make his future go from impossible to possible.