Des Moines, Iowa — A Polk County man is suing federal immigration authorities over efforts to deport him to Vietnam, arguing that his continued detention violates due process because removal is not reasonably foreseeable.
Hein Thai, also listed as Hien Thai in some court records, filed suit against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Polk County Jail in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. He has been held since Jan. 15, 2026, after ICE said he missed a required check-in appointment.
Court records show Thai came to the United States from Vietnam in 1992 and later became a lawful permanent resident. In 1997, he was convicted of terrorism and second-degree murder after a 1995 shooting in Des Moines. He completed his prison sentence in 2013 and was transferred to ICE custody, but the agency released him after 90 days because deportation to Vietnam was not possible at the time.
Thai’s attorney, Alexander Smith, argues that his client has lived for 13 years without new crimes and does not pose a danger. Federal prosecutors say officials are now in talks with the Vietnamese embassy to carry out the removal.
The court has not yet ruled on Thai’s request for immediate release.
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