The United States deported 25 Cambodian refugees

On January 15, 25 people of Cambodian origin were deported from the US to Cambodia, a country that in most cases they do not know. Most of them emigrated legally as refugees, with their families, decades ago, after the Vietnam War and the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia. 

They have been deported for committing a crime in the US. In the US, non-citizens who have lived in the country for decades can be deported for criminal conduct, “including minors crimes” or crimes committed decades ago, Human Rights Watch organization explains in a report. 

The United States has been repatriating Cambodian migrants and refugees since 2002, when, under President George W. Bush, the United States and Cambodia governments signed a Repatriations Agreement. This agreement continued during Barack Obama government, and the rate of deportation has increased under Trump administration. Under this agreement, many Cambodian have been forced to return to their parent’s country for committing any crime in the US. 

The 25 deportees are between 33 and 60 years old, according to Khmer Vulnerability Aid Organization NGO and most of them never visited the country, they do not know the language, Khmer, neither the culture.