Lawmakers reintroduce bill to protect Southeast Asian refugees from deportation

Asian American lawmakers are leading a push to shield Southeast Asian refugees from deportation as the Trump administration continues its draconian crackdown on immigration.

About the bill: Reps. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), along with Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and more than two dozen cosponsors, are reintroducing the Southeast Asian Deportation Relief Act of 2026 (SEADRA). The bill would protect Cambodian, Iu Mien, Hmong, Lao and Vietnamese refugees who fought alongside U.S. forces or fled ethnic cleansing and political persecution. More specifically, it would bar the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from detaining or deporting those who arrived by 2008 and hold final removal orders.

This year’s version expands on earlier iterations in notable ways. It establishes a pathway back to the U.S. for more than 2,000 refugees already removed to Southeast Asia and allows those still in the U.S. to reopen and vacate their removal orders. The bill also makes employment authorization permanent and replaces mandatory in-person Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) check-ins with virtual ones every five years.

Why it matters: The bill’s reintroduction comes as the Trump administration continues to pursue removals at an unprecedented scale. Last year, it deported more Southeast Asian Americans in a single fiscal year than any prior administration, sending 46 to Cambodia, 175 to Laos and 676 to Vietnam. Many were shackled on flights lasting more than 50 hours to nations they had never set foot in. The removals separated families across multiple states, among them individuals who had lived in the U.S. since childhood. Others were sent to third countries in Africa through largely confidential agreements, leaving their U.S.-based attorneys unable to reach them.

Between 1975 and 2008, the U.S. resettled more than 1.2 million Southeast Asian refugees in what remains the country’s largest such program, though many were placed into underserved neighborhoods without adequate services or support for the trauma stemming from war and displacement. Many of those now facing removal were convicted of offenses decades ago and have long since served their sentences. Advocates call this “double punishment” and note that many of those targeted now serve as primary caregivers for families that include U.S. citizens.

What they’re saying: In a news release, Chu accused Trump of making “the entire immigrant community his scapegoat to justify horrifying violence, undermine our rights and tear families apart.” Jayapal noted that the bill was “a long-overdue step to end the constant fear of deportation.” Meanwhile, Lofgren, who represents San Jose and its large Vietnamese American population, argued that shielding refugees from forced return to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam is consistent with the position of every prior U.S. administration, Republican and Democratic alike.

Community advocates were no less emphatic. Quyên Đinh, executive director of Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC), called the legislation “a promise of healing, hope and a future where Southeast Asian families are no longer torn apart.” Chhaya Chhoum, co-executive director of Southeast Asian Freedom Network (SEAFN), was unequivocal. “We belong here and no one is disposable,” she said. The bill is endorsed by both organizations, along with more than 100 others nationwide and statewide.