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Page 1: Cambodians Could Face DeportationBy Katheleen Conti
Thursday, May 30th, 2002
Local Cambodians are nervously waiting to hear whether they could be deported to their native land if a recent agreement between the United States and Cambodia goes through.
Hundreds of Cambodians in Lowell could be directly affected by the agreement, which calls for non-US citizens convicted in this country of ''aggravated felonies'' to be deported, according to Joseph Sexton of the Cambodian American League of Lowell. Indirectly, he said, the deal affects thousands in the city.
''I would say several hundred individuals are facing deportation. Some of these people have families, many have wives, parents, children, brothers, and sisters,'' Sexton said. ''It's not just the people being deported, it's people who have families who are dependent primarily on them for support.''
The agreement was signed by both countries in March, but not publicly disclosed until early May. Until now, Cambodians who were deemed deportable would be held in detention centers because the Cambodian government refused to take them back.
''The new step now is they have to go to their country. They're no longer going to be in limbo,'' Sexton said.
Although Southeast Asian activist groups were aware this agreement was on a fast track, many were caught by surprise when the announcement was made, according to KaYing Yang, executive director of the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center in Washington, D.C. She said details on the agreement have not been released. The accord still requires ratification by the US Senate.
''No one is saying anything to us. We are outraged by that. We are the communities' primary contact. To hear it from the newspapers is alarming,'' Yang said. ''Our job now is not to panic as a community.''
Lowell has the second-largest Cambodian community in the United States, and many of the 30,000 local Cambodians who are not sure how the agreement will affect them and their families.
Yang said she would like to see any deportations delayed until a process to review cases is in place. She estimated there are 1,400 cases nationwide. She said many Cambodians here have become Americanized and would not fit in once they returned to their country and could face a backlash. |
Disclaimer: KC articles are pubished for the information and entertainment of members of KC. The material published is selected for its interest and the views expressed therein are not necessarily those of KC nor its staff. |
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