MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Looking for a ‘second chance’: Dozens attend deportation forum in Tacoma

Feb 19, 2017, 8:40 AM

Tacoma, deportation...

Advocates are calling on lawmakers to help people like Rithy Yin. (KIRO 7)

(KIRO 7)

TACOMA, Wash. – Rithy Yin lives in constant fear.

“Knowing you could be ripped from your family at any time is a lot,” Yin explained. “It takes a toll on you.”

Yin was one of dozens of people who turned out for a “Deportation Awareness Forum” in Tacoma.

Related: Trump considers immigration roundups in the Pacific Northwest

He is also one of eight Cambodian-American men in Washington state who activists say are facing immediate deportation to Cambodia for crimes committed years ago.

“It’s stressful,” Yin added. “I try to be as positive as I can, busy as I can, but you never what’s going to happen.”

He was 2 years old when he came to the country as a refugee, fleeing the genocide and violence during the Khmer Rouge regime.

At 18, he committed an armed robbery, for which he served 10 years in prison.

Now, 36 years old, Yin says he has turned his life around.

“I’ve owned up to it,” Yin said. “I’m not trying to justify it. I was in the wrong, trying to right my wrong and just looking for a second chance.”

Thy Son has also lived with a similar uncertainty weighing on her shoulders for the last few years.

Her husband, the father of her two young children, is facing deportation for drug offenses he committed as a teenager.

He was just 6 months old when he came to the U.S.

“It hurts, and to know that my kids might grow up to not have a father and I don’t want that to happen,” Son said.

Son’s aunt, Vanna Sing, organized the forum to bring education and hope to these families under the threat of separation.

She also has two more family members facing the same fate.

“There is hope,” Sing explained. “And if we come together, we can learn how to do it and do what we need to do.”

Advocates are calling on lawmakers to help.

They believe the U.S. government must bear some responsibility for its bombings of Cambodia during the Vietnam War, which contributed to the political instability that allowed the Khmer Rouge to come into power.

“I do feel betrayed because they accepted us with open arms and raised us after everything that went on,” Yin said. “And I make a mistake and I feel like they turned their back on me.”

MyNorthwest News

Photo: On Monday, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced there will be 16 new preschool classrooms across Se...

Julia Dallas

Harrell’s office announces Seattle preschool slots for thousands of kids

Thousands more families will have the chance to start their children's Seattle preschool education earlier, thanks to a program launching.

8 hours ago

Digital...

Micki Gamez

How parents can help prevent children from falling victim to online sex crimes

Chances are, if your teen has a cell phone or tablet, they either know someone or they have been the victim of an online sex crime because kids as young as seven are online more than ever. My interest in this story began almost the same time last year when my daughter came home and […]

12 hours ago

Pierce County Jail...

Bill Kaczaraba

Pierce County Corrections chief at odds with the employee guild

The Corrections Bureau's Guild has issued Patti Jackson a vote of 'no confidence,' as reported by The Tacoma News Tribune.

13 hours ago

Image: A Seattle Police Department vehicle seen during the day...

Sam Campbell

Security guard stabbed, suspect barricades inside Beacon Hill apartment

SWAT officers surrounded a complex in Seattle's Beacon Hill neighborhood after police said a man stabbed a guard barricaded himself inside.

15 hours ago

seattle indecent exposure...

Frank Sumrall

Seattle man arrested for 14 counts of indecent exposure, most near schools

A 34-year-old man was arrested by Seattle police (SPD) in connection to 14 counts of indecent exposure near Lake Forest Park.

15 hours ago

Federal Way shootings...

Bill Kaczaraba

Federal Way Police say two shootings are related

Police believe two shootings in Federal Way are related.

17 hours ago

Looking for a ‘second chance’: Dozens attend deportation forum in Tacoma