A former lawyer for the Hmong-American woman who was brought to the United States at eight months old and lived in Milwaukee until she was deported 11 days ago to Laos says her expulsion came as a complete surprise.
Ma Yang, 37, was born in Thailand and attained legal status as a permanent US resident before the mother of five was stripped of her green card by the Trump administration some two-plus years after being released from federal prison, where she served 30 months on marijuana-related charges. In February, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told Yang to report to the agency’s Milwaukee facility. When she showed up, agents detained Yang, sent her to Indiana, then Chicago, and finally was shipped off to Laos.
