The United States’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement has held a detainee at Angola until he was then deported to Laos after ignoring a court order from a judge based in Baton Rouge.
Chanthila “Shawn” Souvannarath, the former detainee, represented himself in court in hopes of presenting his citizenship.
Despite a court order which would delay Chanthila “Shawn” Souvannarath’s deportation on the ground of substantial proof of citizenship, Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported him to Laos. As a result, questions have risen regarding the legality of the deportation.
Souvannarath has spent most of his life in the United States, as he was granted permanent residency after being born in Thailand at a refugee camp with a father who was a naturalized citizen of the United States. He made it to the U.S. before the age of one, and was detained and then deported at the age of 44.
During an annual check-in with immigration officers in June, Souvannarath was taken into ICE custody and moved from Arab Alabama to the new ICE facility in the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.
Souvannarath would represent himself in court and seek an emergency motion to delay the deportation, to which he was granted an extra 14 days due to his proof of citizenship by Judge Shelly Dick of Baton Rouge.
This sudden detainment and deportation was shocking to all, in part due to the fact that Souvannarath has spent almost all his life in the US, but mostly due to the fact a federal court ordered ICE to delay his deportation. ICE’s defense to ignoring the order was that they didn’t receive it.
Loyola Law Professor Bill Quigley commented on the issue of Souvannarath’s deportation.
“This deportation occurred after a federal judge ordered ICE not to deport him. Thus it was an illegal deportation,” Quigley said.
Quigley was not the only one to question the legality of the deportation and detainment, with the American Civil Liberties Union representing Souvannarath and bringing light to the matter. In hopes of bringing him back, the ACLU is asking for judge Shelly Dick to also order Souvannarath’s immediate return to the U.S.
Alanah Odoms, the executive director of Louisiana’s ACLU states, “This administration has shown it will ignore the courts, ignore the Constitution and ignore the law to pursue its mass deportation agenda, even if it means destroying the lives of American citizens.”
This case has been causing nationwide concern over immigration policies as well as ICE’s increasing presence in America. Citing a need for just and clearer immigration laws rising, students on campus have also expressed their concerns.
“That’s extremely unlawful and a complete abuse of power and it’s very racially motivated. He has an entire life here. That’s so illegal,” said Theo Dubin, a first year jazz studies student.
Quigley adds onto the issue of race regarding ICE’s profiling as well as the legal issues with immigration laws and deportation.
“Both Republicans and Democrats agree the immigration laws need to be changed. Unfortunately they cannot agree on how. Most people agree serious criminals who are not here legally can be deported,” Quigley said. “But ICE is racially profiling people who speak Spanish, who are brown, who work in low-paying service jobs. As a result millions of quiet working people in the US are at risk of deportation.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
