LYNN – Longtime Lynn resident Samath “Sam” Thoeun, who is facing potential deportation to Cambodia, has been granted bail after being detained by ICE.
Thoeun, 38, moved to Lynn with his family in 1988 at the age of 18 months. He was born in a Thai refugee camp, as his mother’s family fled the Cambodian Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970s. Although Thoeun is a citizen of Cambodia, he has never been to the country, nor does he speak the language.
Thoeun hasn’t been granted official US citizenship, while both of his parents and two of his siblings were able to become naturalized citizens. Thoeun’s history complicated the citizenship process, as he was arrested multiple times before the age of 21. Under the Trump administration, ICE has been going after immigrants with criminal records, regardless of the age of the charges.
However, Thoeun takes responsibility for his past, and now works as a forklift driver in Danvers. He has a wife and an 11-year-old daughter, who are both U.S. citizens.
In 2008, ICE sent a “final removal order” against Thoeun, but allowed him to remain in the U.S under an order of supervision. Thoeun complied with regular check-ins, but was detained by ICE on June 23 after dropping his daughter off for her last day of school. He was held in Dover, New Hampshire, and his family hired immigration lawyer Jonathan Ng. The court reopened Thoeun’s case in early August.
Thoeun’s hearing took place on Thursday, August 14 at Chelmsford Immigration Court, where Judge Yul-mi Cho set bail at $25,000. Thoeun’s family has set up a Change.org petition for his case, and a GoFundMe page to assist with legal fees. If Thoeun’s family is able to post bail, he will be released from detention so he can spend time at home while his immigration case proceeds.
“I was very glad to learn that Mr. Thoeun will have the opportunity to make his case that he has become a productive member of this community. It is clear he is needed by his family, and I am hopeful for a positive result in his case,” said Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson.
