A recently paroled immigrant who was fighting against deportation to Cambodia has landed there despite efforts from Bay Area community members.
“I am still right here with you,” said Phoeun You in a message to his family and supporters. “It’s not over until it’s over and we’re going to keep going.”
He now sits in Cambodia, a country he hasn’t stepped foot in since he was about 5 years old.
ICE confirmed it carried out You’s deportation on Tuesday.
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“He gave us a call at 1 in the morning and I was just really relieved to hear his voice that he was safe,” said You’s attorney, So Young Lee.
You served 25 years of his sentence for killing a man in retaliation for harming a family member.
He was released from San Quentin State Prison earlier this year, having transformed his life according to his supporters, but was immediately transferred to immigration detention.
“He’s a friend, a brother, a mentor of mine. He was the first person to approach me when I was at the point in my life that I wanted to transform my life,” said Chanthon Bun.
Bun was also incarcerated with You and is now an advocate for potential and current deportees.
“It’s hard to acculturate back into a society that you don’t know at all, let alone, not even knowing how to speak the language correctly,” he said.
But to try to give You a chance, supporters are raising money for his transition. He is in transitional housing in Cambodia and has gotten connected with an organization to help adjust to a country he doesn’t know.
“Whether it’s with housing, food, eventually until he finds a job and as Bun mentioned it can be difficult to find a job, it can be as much as being labeled as 'American' or even being seen as 'too qualified' and not being hired for the position,” said Lee.
Ultimately, they want You back in California with his huge family.
And though it’s a long shot, they said that Governor Gavin Newsom can still make that happen with a pardon.
The governor’s office said in a statement to NBC Bay Area that pardon applications are confidential and all applications receive a thorough and careful review.
