WHITMER PARDONS HMONG COMMUNITY LEADER AS ICE PUSHES DEPORTATION TO LAOS

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued a pardon for Lue Yang, a Hmong refugee and community leader detained by ICE over an old conviction now expunged under the state Clean Slate law. Advocates say ICE has transferred Yang through multiple facilities and may be moving to deport him to Laos, where he has never lived. The case highlights a 2025 cluster of ICE actions against Hmong/Southeast Asian refugees tied to Michigan, with transfers to Louisiana and Texas and use of Alexandria, LA as a deportation staging site. The pardon’s effect on federal proceedings is unclear, underscoring tensions between state clemency and federal immigration enforcement.