Returning Home?
The New Era of Deporting Hmong and Lao Americans to Laos
Ian Baird
Professor of Geography
University of Wisconsin-Madison
American citizen ChongLy Scott Thao taken from his home in St. Paul, MN by ICE agents on January 19, 2026
In May 2025, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic’s policy of not accepting former political refugee deportees from the United States ended when the first 65 Hmong, Lao and Iu-Mien Americans arrived in Vientiane, and were transferred to a military camp to prepare for them for (re)claiming Lao citizenship. But have they really returned home? Previously, the Lao PDR government had contended that those who had left Laos without permission or official travel documents would not be accepted back. However, due to US government pressure, the Lao PDR government has now agreed to accept these deportees. Since the arrival of the first 65, hundreds more have arrived, and there are over 4,500 people in the US from Laos with final deportation orders. Thus, many more are likely to be deported in the near future. However, many of the deportees left Laos at very young ages, and many were actually born in refugee camps in Thailand and have never even been to Laos. Some know little about Laos and have limited or no ability to speak Lao. Many of the deportees have families, including young children who are US-born citizens and remain in the US. Various Lao and Hmong Americans have raised concerns, and recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Minnesota have increased tensions further. In this presentation, I review how the deportations are playing out—both in the US and Laos—including how deportees are adjusting to their new lives in Laos, and how some are using social media to tell their stories.