WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Wausau’s city council has passed a resolution supporting the city’s Hmong/Lao community and opposing the deportation of residents to Laos by the federal government.
District 10 Alderperson Mary Thao, who is Hmong, brought the resolution forward after recent rumblings that the Secretary of State’s office is in talks with the Laos government to deport thousands of residents who may have no ties to the country.
“We have to remember that Laos is not home to some of these individuals,” she said. “They can’t speak the language, they didn’t grow up there, and they’ve spent the last 40+ years making the United States their home.”
In most cases, those in danger of being deported have some sort of criminal record, which Thao says doesn’t define who they are today after paying their debt to society. “They have been rehabilitated and paid their dues. These are people among you that are entrepreneurs, educators, parents, or grandparents.
“They are living among us, and they are upstanding and working hard to make ends meet,” she added.
Thao was asked by Alder Dennis Smith why many of these residents may not have gone through the process of becoming naturalized citizens. She says the reasons for that can vary from financial to fear of being detained when their criminal past is dredged up.
Thao has written a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s office herself as a representative of the City Council. Tuesday’s resolution is a measure of support for the Hmong community and their role in the Secret War and as political refugees. It also sends a message that the city opposes future conversations with Laos about deporting residents.
“It’s a great step forward. Speaking in unison and standing up for the people in our community that we care about. That’s the first thing we can do.”
Similar measures have been passed in La Crosse, Madison, and Appleton.
Thao says her family lives in fear of her own brother being deported because of a past criminal conviction. “I’ve been living in that fear for probably 25 years, so this isn’t something new, it’s been ongoing and it’s impacted not just my family but a lot of Hmong-Lao families throughout the country.
At least five residents in Marathon County would be in danger of being deported should the Government take action, according to Madison-based Freedom, INC. Thao says there could be more who just haven’t spoken up for fear of retribution.
