Support Ma Yang's Return to Her Kids
Help Bring Ma Yang Home to Her Children
We are the family of Ma Yang, and we are asking for your help to bring our beloved mother, daughter, sister, and fiancé back home where she belongs.
Ma's Journey
Ma was born in a refugee camp in Thailand to Hmong parents who aided the United States during the Vietnam War. Her parents fled the war in Laos when Ma was just eight months old and brought her to the United States. This is the only home she has ever known. She built her life in Milwaukee, working hard as a nail technician and receptionist while raising five children, ages 6 to 22. Recently she welcomed her first grandchild.
A Mistake Shouldn’t Mean Losing Everything
In 2020, Ma made a mistake and accepted a plea deal on a marijuana-related charge, which she thought would not impact her green card status and served time. After her release, Ma should have been allowed to return home to rebuild her life with her children. Instead, in February 2025, she was unexpectedly detained by ICE and deported to Laos—a country she has never set foot in, as she was born in Thailand. This deportation has left her stranded in Laos, an unfamiliar land, thousands of miles away from her children, in a country she’s never been to, where she has no family, no support, and no way to survive. Her former attorney, Matt Ricci, described her as a “small pawn” in a larger case and said that "nobody with any compassion would think there’s any compelling reason" to separate her from her family. Ma’s 12 siblings were all born in the U.S., but the fact that she was born in a refugee camp made her a victim of “stupid” birth circumstances.
The Unfairness of Deportation
Ma's deportation is not just a legal matter; it's a profound human tragedy and incredible injustice. Hmong refugees resettled in the U.S after U.S involvement in the war in Southeast Asia where thousands of Hmong folks were recruited by the U.S CIA to support their cause during the Vietnam War. To return Hmong folks back to Southeast Asia, and back to Laos is an injustice because it leaves Hmong folks incredibly vulnerable without any protections. Her attorney never imagined she would be deported, as the U.S. typically deports a small number of people to Laos each year, and Laos has historically been reluctant to accept deportees. Ma's case is a heartbreaking example of how rigid policies can tear families apart and punish individuals beyond their served sentences.
Now, she is stranded alone in a foreign country, while her children suffer every day without their mother. Her disabled fiancé and her mother rely on her as their primary care giver,and they are now without her support and care as well. No child should have to grow up without their mother, and no family should be torn apart because of a broken immigration system.
We Need Your Help
We are doing everything in our power to bring Ma home, but we need your help. The financial burden is overwhelming, and we are raising money which will be used to cover Ma’s legal fees to fight for her return home, her health care and medical expenses since she does have health issues, and to support her children with living expenses as they navigate this time without her.
Every dollar donated brings us one step closer to reuniting Ma with her children. If you can’t donate, please share her story. Your support means everything to us.
With love and gratitude,
The Family of Ma Yang
Organizer
