OCA Angered by Tony Pham's Inaction and Calls for Closure of Adelanto Detention Center

Washington, DC - After two months of being appointed the acting Director of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), an agency within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Tony Pham has continued to perpetuate and allow harm to immigrant communities. Under his leadership, ICE has continued the deportation of immigrants and refugees and allowed unlawful arrests of peaceful protestors. 

VietLead Executive Director Nancy Nguyen was arrested in Philadelphia due her participation in a peaceful and nonviolent Freedom Fighters protest in Henrico County, VA the week prior. She was charged with two misdemeanors (littering and trespassing) and faced extradition to Virginia. She was never shown the warrant for her arrest and remained detained for 24 hours in ICE custody. Though released later, Nguyen must still appear in court. 

In Louisiana, Kao Saelee is being held in ICE custody as he awaits his case facing possible deportation to Laos. Saelee arrived in the United States as a Mien refugee at the age of 2, living in the United States for all of his life. Sentenced on robbery charges as an adolescent, he was serving his time in a California prison. He was an incarcerated firefighter during his sentence, fighting wildfires that have devastated the West Coast. On the day he was to be released and reunited with his family, he was shackled and transferred to an ICE facility.

In addition to devastating ICE deportations and detentions that have happened this year, COVID-19 remains a huge problem for detainees. For those detained at ICE facilities, lack of PPE, sanitation, mistreatment of infected patients, and distance for detainees and guards alike pave the way for increased numbers of infections. At Adelanto Detention Center, 147 detainees tested positive for coronavirus, as well as 31 staff members - the largest outbreak in a detention center in the country. OCA joins Senator Lowenthal in calling for the closure of Adelanto. 

“This track record of continual harm towards BIPOC communities, especially Southeast Asian communities, proves this country’s need for changes in leadership to address systemic oppressions from the national level to the local level,” says Ken Lee, CEO of OCA National. “The continual erasure of Asian refugees and history of discrimination and xenophobia from the American conscious perpetuates intentional harm towards our communities. We cannot allow the treatment of citizens, immigrants, and asylum seekers to continue down this path.”

“It is abhorrent for Tony Pham to tout himself as a Vietnamese refugee while taking no action to stop the wrongs being done to refugees and immigrants by ICE,” says Thu Nguyen, Director of OCA National. “His family and mine sought freedom of speech, among others, in America. Tony must answer to his đòng bào, his Vietnamese and immigrant kin. Stop the persecution of peaceful protestors and Freedom Fighters, and end the deportation of immigrant Americans.”

Call your Senators to support Senator Lowenthal’s call to close Adelanto Detention Center.

OCA–Asian Pacific American Advocates is a national civil rights organization dedicated to improving the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs).

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