In brief
Immigration officials have deported Chanthila 'Shawn' Souvannarath, a father living in Alabama, to Laos, ignoring a federal court order that allowed him to present his citizenship claims. His deportation raises questions about the adherence to judicial rulings amid ongoing immigration reforms under the Trump administration.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Immigration officials have deported a father living in Alabama to Laos despite a federal court order blocking his removal from the U.S. on the grounds he has a claim to citizenship, the man’s attorneys said Tuesday.U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick last week ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to keep Chanthila “Shawn” Souvannarath, 44, in the United States while he presented what the judge called his “substantial claim of U.S. citizenship,” court records show. He was born in a refugee camp in Thailand but was granted lawful permanent residence in the U.S. before his first birthday, according to court filings.On Sunday, Souvannarath informed his wife via WhatsApp that he had been deported to Laos. Love y’all, he concluded his message.“It is very unfortunate, especially for the children that we have together,” Beatrice Souvannarath told AP.The ACLU of Louisiana, which is representing Souvannarath, condemned the deportation as a “stunning violation of a federal court order,” stating that the action has torn apart families and violated legal rights. Prior to his deportation, Souvannarath had been detained at a newly opened ICE facility at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.Alanah Odoms from the ACLU of Louisiana criticized the situation, saying, “This administration has shown it will ignore the courts, ignore the Constitution and ignore the law to pursue its mass deportation agenda.”Souvannarath had been taken into ICE custody in June during a routine check-in, where he was with his two younger children. He expressed feeling like an American citizen, stating he had continuously lived in the United States since infancy. His father, a naturalized citizen, is from Laos, which Souvannarath claims forms the basis for his citizenship.Despite Judge Dick issuing a temporary restraining order to prevent Souvannarath's deportation, ICE moved forward with the removal. This incident raises serious concerns about the executive's respect for judicial authority as similar cases of wrongful deportation of U.S. citizens have been reported in the past.The deportation occurs amid ongoing tensions between the courts and the federal government over immigration policies, particularly during periods of heightened enforcement under previous administrations.
