A fellow Luther College graduate friend of mine is in prison. On August 14th, after unintentionally missing an immigration hearing to merely clarify and update her visa status, Hoa Nguyen was arrested and imprisoned. On September 22nd, a judge refused an appeal to reopen her case and she is facing deportation with barred re-entry for five years.
Friends and family are rallying to her rescue. In an effort to gain broader visibility and increased support, I am seeking assistance from my motivated and good-hearted Kossacks.
Follow me over the jump for her story, links to media coverage and how to help.
Hoa Nguyen arrived in the United States in 1999 for an education. She attended my alma mater Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. After leaving Luther she pursued a Masters degree in French literature from the University of Minnesota, where she also taught undergraduate classes. On November 8th, 2008 she married college classmate Dan Hanson, a citizen of the United States. 2 months later they celebrated a marriage ceremony in her home country of Vietnam.
Here is her story, as summarized by her husband Dan:
Hoa is now in Sherburne County Jail, scheduled for involuntary deportation. Her visa status first became unclear to us in the midst of our trip to Vietnam to celebrate our wedding. Upon returning, Hoa talked to immigration officials, who set a one-month time limit in which to resolve her status. She requested more time to sort through the situation, and her case was then transferred to a different office. After that, she received a letter to appear in court on August 13, 2009 regarding her status in the U.S. After confusing, and missing, the court date, she was taken into custody and has been in jail since August 14, 2009. As she worked to try and comply with immigration law, Hoa was unaware of the excessive consequences and felt assured by our marriage.
Hoa has a wonderful disposition and shares her laughter, smile and wit with all that are around her. She is infectious, kind, an amazing cook and can connect with kids in an instant. A family as well as a restaurant, a day care, or teaching are her ambitions. She deserves to be in the U.S. on her own merits. She is however, my wife and as I am a U.S. citizen, we have the right to be together. I am disappointed that we have experienced this part of our system and regret that we did not seek professional help earlier. Be that as it may, we are in this position and have every intention of making it through this with our heads held high and our relationship stronger.
And here is a heartfelt message from her parents in Vietnam:
We, together with Hoa’s friends in Vietnam, are devastated to hear that that our daughter is being treated like a criminal. Considering that Hoa has spent a big part of her life learning, growing up and contributing to society in the U.S., she absolutely does not deserve this treatment, even with the mistakes she made. She is a French teacher with great potential and beloved and trusted by colleagues, having provided guidance to many students at the University of Minnesota. She is a good wife who has the utmost care for her friends and family, including her own parents, who are thousands of miles away. She is also a most loving and giving sister. We hope that through this website, the story of our daughter will be portrayed accurately, adding another voice of support for Dan and Hoa and their future together. We are asking for everyone’s kindness and support.
Thank you.
But the judge denied their appeals to reopen the case:
Her order for deportation stands and she is barred from re-entry to the United States for 5 years, with an option to apply for a waiver after 1 year, and then come back through Visa processing after another 9 months or more. Basically, Dan and Hoa will be separated for at least 2 years.
You can also watch Dan's more recent video message HERE.
The story also ran locally in the Twin Cities, picked up by the Star Tribune and KSTP, a local ABC news channel.
This is not the kind of people immigration laws should be trying to force out of the country. This kind of excessive reaction to clerical mistakes is unacceptable. The fact she is still in jail is unacceptable. To that end, we are declaring Saturday, October 10, 2009 as FREE HOA SATURDAY, to host parties and get-togethers to write letters and make phone calls and support Hoa, Dan, her family and friends in any way possible. 18 parties are already scheduled
to talk about that the purpose of U.S. immigration law is to protect the right of U.S. citizens to marry whom they love as they lawfully try to navigate the immigration process.
Of course, not everyone can attend one of these parties, but you can write letters, make a donation, volunteer and even follow FreeHoa.org on Twitter, Facebook and Myspace.
Thanks for reading.