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Vietnamese church deacon deported after re-detention, missed newborn's birth

May 1, 2026·Location: Atlanta, GA

Country of origin: Vietnam

Vietnamese church deacon deported after re-detention, missed newborn's birth
Photo via Newsweek

Thuc Dy Dang Nguyen, a church deacon, Sunday-school teacher, and father of six in Lawrenceville, Georgia, was re-detained by ICE on October 16, 2025, after being called to the agency's Atlanta field office for what he believed was a routine case review. The Vietnamese refugee had spent about 12 years under an ICE Order of Supervision and had regularly complied with check-ins, but his attorneys said ICE revoked his release without explanation and transferred him to Stewart Detention Center. His attorney, Phi Nguyen of AALDEF, filed a federal lawsuit on his behalf in November 2025, but the case reportedly sat idle for more than six months even as other courts ordered ICE to release people in similar circumstances. Given only three days' notice, Dy was transferred out of state and deported to Vietnam, shackled for the roughly 40-hour flight. While in custody, he missed his wife Tammy's C-section and the birth of their youngest child, whom he has not yet met.

Timeline

May 1, 2026—Given three days' notice, transferred out of state and deported to Vietnam, missing the birth of his youngest child
Nov 1, 2025—Attorney Phi Nguyen filed federal lawsuit challenging his re-detention
Oct 16, 2025—Re-detained by ICE during check-in at Atlanta field office and transferred to Stewart Detention Center
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