Vibol's Legal Assistance to Stop Deportation

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10/03/2019:
Detainment

On the morning of October 3rd, during a routine, scheduled check-in at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) center in Burlington, MA, a permanent resident of Lowell, MA, Vibol Sok, was detained by immigration officials. He was immediately processed for expedited removal to Texas, in anticipation of repatriation to his native country of Cambodia. Through a
habeas petition, we were able to get a stay of removal and prevent his relocation to Texas. However, as his legal status issues remain unresolved, Vibol remains in detention at the Franklin County Jail (was removed from Suffolk House of Correction after they cancelled their contract with ICE on 10/09/2019) despite his legal status and adherence to the requirements to appear at the ICE Center at regular intervals.

Vibol is a devoted son, brother, friend, and father to a U.S. Citizen daughter. He has full-time employment at a local grocery chain, Market Basket and provides both financial and emotional support to his child, loved ones, and his mom.

10/07/2019
The Effects of Deportation

The move to detain and deport an individual with legal resident status is unlawful, and part of a larger trend on the part of the current administration to repatriate even upstanding permanent residents of so-called “recalcitrant” home countries, with no regard for their length of legal status within the United States, or their ability to adequately advocate for themselves once repatriated. Visa issuance in these countries has been made contingent upon agreement to accept repatriated citizens. While this policy predates the current administration, it is currently being used as a means to deport even law-abiding permanent residents.

Vibol’s removal to Cambodia would do irrevocable harm to both Vibol himself, and the family, friends, and co-workers who depend upon him. His removal would be exceptionally damaging to his 21-year-old daughter, Seeda Sok, who would be deprived of the emotional support and guidance of her loving father at a critical time in her young adulthood. According to study data aggregated on the American Immigration Council website, children of deported parents become “more anxious, withdrawn, angry, or aggressive” in the six months following detention or deportation. The site also reports that these children are at significantly higher risk of detrimental issues like PTSD, anxiety, depression, psychological stress, and so-called “toxic stress.”

10/08/2019
Keep Vibol Home

Vibol himself has no knowledge of the language, customs or practices in the country of Cambodia. As a minor child brought as a refugee from Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge era, Vibol has no functional memory of his early years in Cambodia. The United States is the only country and culture Vibol has ever known. Removing this legal permanent resident to Cambodia would expose him to both physical danger and psychological distress. He would be unable to communicate, navigate, seek employment or shelter, or advocate for his needs. He has no family contacts in Cambodia who could assist him or offer safety, housing, or financial support.

Removing Vibol to Cambodia also represents a clear and tangible threat to his mental health and physical well-being. It is well-documented that repatriated persons who do not have the benefit of foreign language or literacy skills face the threat of physical harm or even death. It is cruel and unusual to leave a legal resident defenseless in a foreign nation with no means by which to support or advocate for themselves.

I hope you will consider intervening on Vibol’s behalf to prevent his repatriation to Cambodia on a permanent basis, for the sake of his safety, and of the many people who rely on him as a family member, father, and friend.

10/09/2019
Our Family Story

My brother Vibol and I came to the United States in 1981 as refugees from the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. I was two years old when my family emigrated. My elder brother Vibol was five. We entered the United States under refugee status and were
granted permanent residency (a green card).

We were accompanied to the U.S. by our mother, grandmother, aunt, and uncle, driven from our home country during the Khmer Rouge regime, known as one of the largest genocides of the modern era. It is estimated that 1.87 million people - one in four
Cambodians - were slaughtered at the hands of Pol Pot before he was removed from power on January 7, 1979.

Our father was not lucky enough to escape the regime. During our evacuation to the United States, our family became separated
and we believed our father executed. My family mourned for nearly 20 years, until in 2000 we learned he had escaped execution
and was living in Cambodia. With this information in hand, my grandmother was able to locate him, but unfortunately even this
was not able to bring us together; our father passed away on April 11th (Cambodian New Year) in 2003. We were never able to
meet or see his face; we have no memory of his presence in our lives.

Because my father was absent from our lives, we were raised by a single mother. Though she was affectionate and loving, and
strove to provide us the best moral upbringing she could, she struggled to provide for us financially. Without the benefit of English
fluency or understanding of life in America, finding sufficient employment was extremely difficult. She took work in manufacturing to provide for our basic needs, enduring double shifts.

The hours my mother was required to work to provide for us meant we spent much of our time apart from her. With no other
parent in the house and no father to provide guidance and support, my brother made poor choices as a juvenile. While these
circumstances are not meant to excuse his actions, they are meant to provide perspective on how these hardships contributed to
these poor decisions.

Vibol has spent his adult years making amends for those adolescent decisions, becoming a contributing member of society with full-time employment and responsibility for a young adult daughter. Despite this extraordinary work to overcome both the mistakes
of his past and the circumstances of his childhood, he is being forced to answer again for a 20-year-old closed case. Vibol has had
his legal rights as a permanent resident revoked, despite his adherence to the conditions of his residency (regular check-ins with
Immigration and Customs Enforcement). At a time when is making positive contributions to society and has parental
responsibilities for a daughter (a child who is a U.S. citizen and entitled to protections under the Constitution), my brother now
faces deportation to a country in which he would not be able to function or contribute, nor provide for his daughter in any manner.

Your kind donation will used to pay for attorney fees to benefit my brother, Vibol Sok. We need to hire an immigration and criminal lawyer to (1) delay the deportation timeline, my brother has short window of about 4 weeks before he might be deported and (2)
have his case revise and revoke.

This is my promise to you, I will be forever grateful and if possible, I will personally hand write you a thank you note to show you my appreciation. Thank you for your consideration.