President Trump‘s renewed push for mass deportations has alarmed Louisiana’s Laotian refugee community, many of whom have lived in the U.S. legally for decades. Resettled in the 1980s under U.S.-led refugee programs, most hold green cards and have built families and careers in places like Iberia Parish.
But a stricter immigration enforcement stance is causing fear—even among long-term residents. One man, brought to the U.S. as a child, was detained for two years after a 1997 conviction and now lives in limbo, paroled but unable to gain citizenship or be deported.
Laos rarely accepts deportees, complicating removal efforts. Still, community members report increased ICE check-ins, detention threats, and electronic monitoring.
Phanat Xanamane, a local advocate, says many in the working-class Laotian community fear the government and have avoided applying for citizenship. “My goal is just not to have the families in my community be torn apart,” he said.
The situation underscores broader concerns about the feasibility and human cost of Trump’s intensified deportation agenda.
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