Michigan Hmong leader released from ICE detention after push from federal and state lawmakers

Lue Yang, a Lansing-area Hmong community leader who had been detained by ICE in July, has been released from federal custody after efforts from legislators on both sides of the aisle. 

“Everybody has given me, they gave me the strength,” Yang said in a video posted by U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Charlotte), who represents Yang’s home of St. John’s. 

Yang has been a resident in the United States since he came as an asylum seeker when he was a child. He was convicted on a burglary charge in 1997 and served a 10-month sentence — which despite being expunged from Michigan records in 2018, was the basis of his detention. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also pardoned Yang in October, seeking to pause his deportation to Laos.

Another strong advocate for Yang’s release since he was taken into custody has been state Rep. Mai Xiong (D-Warren). Also a Hmong American who came to the U.S. as a refugee as a child, Xiong was present to welcome Yang back as he was reunited with his wife and six children. 

“This effort required setting aside partisanship, reaching across the aisle, and working together, at all levels of government. I commend the attorneys who are working overtime, within the confines of the law and policies that are ever changing, and the organizations that uplifted his story and informed the public and media,” Xiong wrote on social media. “While there are still many members of our community that have been detained by ICE recently, Lue’s release brings hope to so many immigrant families who are still awaiting their loved ones’ return home.”

“Lue is not and never has been an illegal immigrant, and he does not present a threat to our community, which motivated me to work tirelessly to see him released from custody,” Barrett, whose staff in Washington worked with federal agencies to facilitate his release, said in a statement. “I have consistently said that I believe we need to be firm, fair, and humane in how we enforce immigration law, and I’m proud that I could effectively advocate to get Lue released. I appreciate the willingness of the administration to listen to my concerns about Lue’s case and to reach this outcome.”

However, Rising Voices, a nonprofit organization focusing on increasing civic participation among Michigan’s Asian American residents, said that Yang’s legal battles were not over, as his immigration status still had to be definitively resolved in court. 

“But today’s homecoming is still a victory—not just for the Yang family, but for immigrant and refugee communities who are facing persecution and violence from our government at an unprecedented scale. The reunification of the Yang family is a beacon of hope and assurance that the power of organizing and unyielding demands for justice can indeed change the world,” the group said in a Facebook post. “No amount of racist rhetoric, xenophobic policy or violence can erase the truth of our existence: We are America, we are the future of this nation, and when we fight for our loved ones, we remain undaunted.”

State Sen. Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit), who has also been an advocate for Yang’s release since his detention, also expressed her joy at the release on social media. 

“I am so relieved and happy that Lue Yang has been released by ICE and is reunited with his family! His wife Ann is a true inspiration,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “Our country is better because of immigrants and refugees — and people like Lue Yang deserve to continue contributing to our state rather than being deported. Today is a giant rare win for dignity for immigrants and refugees.”