Uprooted from the only life he’s known.

My uncle, Sengsadaphone Phongsavanh—Seng, Thee, or Matt to us—has always been the baby of our large family. When he was just five, my grandmother made the brave choice to flee Laos, escaping the Secret War. She and his older siblings worked tirelessly in sewing factories and berry fields to build a new life in America.

In his twenties, my uncle made one mistake, but he turned his life around and committed himself to doing the right thing. For nearly 30 years, he complied with every immigration check-in and work permit renewal, always holding a job and contributing to our community. Then, everything changed. His last three applications for work permits were denied, and suddenly, he found himself unable to work. In desperation, he began the process of self-deportation.

On April 11, 2026, just two days before his scheduled immigration check-in, in Portland, Oregon, everything changed. At 10 AM, three ICE officers knocked on his door. He didn’t resist. When his wife asked permission for a hug and final goodbye, they denied her. Handcuffed, he was taken away, leaving us all in shock and fear. We had no idea where they were taking him or how to find him. The last location his phone pinged was at a field at the Clark County Fairgrounds in Ridgefield, WA.

Through a friend, we connected with the Defend Migrants Alliance, who reached out to the Portland Immigration Rights Coalition. By 5 PM that day, we learned he was at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, WA. We scrambled to add money to his commissary and heard from him that night. He revealed that ICE had received his approval to self-deport to Laos back in January 2026, but it was now set to expire on April 30, 2026. He was booked into detention and remained separated from his wife, daughter, dog, and the rest of us, until this afternoon, when they deported him to Laos.

It was two weeks of a nightmare that could have been avoided had his paperwork been handled properly. He wanted to leave on his own terms, but ICE failed him. They failed all of us.

He won’t be able to work in Laos until he has the right documents. We’re reaching out for any support to help him transition into this new life. Thank you for considering a donation or sharing this fundraiser. It means everything to us.