The Vietnamese Student Union held a rally outside Kerckhoff Hall on Wednesday to protest the eventual deportation of approximately 1,500 Vietnamese community members affected by the U.S. and Vietnam Repatriation Agreement.
Under the agreement, which was enacted on Jan. 22, Vietnamese residents who arrived in the U.S. on or after July 12, 1995, and who have received an order of removal due to criminal offenses will be deported.
Daniel Pham, the president of the Vietnamese Student Union, said the repatriation act affects the most recent wave of Vietnamese refugees.
“It affects noncitizens, some of which are here on a green card or student visa,” Pham said.
Pham said many of the deportees are being sent back to Vietnam for minor misdemeanors, such as shoplifting, urinating in public or writing a bad check, most for which the offenders have already served time.
David Lazar, president of Bruin Republicans and a former Daily Bruin columnist who witnessed part of the event, said deportation of some Vietnamese community members seems reasonable if they have a background in violent crime.
“I don’t think that people that commit violent crimes should get citizenship ““ so I could see why they would be deported. If you’re here illegally, you wouldn’t have the same amount of leeway, but how far that should be taken, I’m not sure.” Lazar said.
After the march, several speakers took the stage to demonstrate their support for their respective communities and to engage other students in the debate.
“We should have judicial discretion. … Deportees should be able to defend themselves,” said Suza Khy, a member of the Vietnamese Student Union.
Other performances included spoken word, poetry and personal testimonials by members of the Vietnamese Student Union. Lucy Vo, one of the speakers at the event, recounted to the audience the moment when she heard that her cousin had gotten a deportation notice.
“It’s crazy to me. … When I heard about the deportation, I didn’t think it would actually happen,” Vo said.
Pham said an important part of planning the rally was to caution VSU members not to be reactionary.
“If people are yelling at us, there’s no point yelling back. … Save your passion for someone who is indifferent,” Pham said.
Pham added that the heated immigration debate particularly affects members of Southeast Asia, many of whom are vulnerable to the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act passed in 1996.
Pham said this law drastically increases the kinds of offenses by which an immigrant can be deported. Other members of the Southeast Asian community at UCLA stood by to support the Vietnamese Student Union, citing 1,400 Cambodian refugees deported in 2002.
Wayne Tung, a second-year anthropology student, said he supported the Vietnamese community simply because he is part of the Asian community.
“I feel like I want to help those people who are being torn from their families. … I don’t see how anyone could support this law,” Tung said.