Long-time Lawful Permanent Resident’s Deportation Order Devastates U.S. Citizen Wife and Children

Oakland-area man Chea Bou currently waits at a detention center in Texas to be deported to Cambodia, a country he fled as a refugee 35 years ago. If deported, he would leave behind a U.S. citizen wife and three U.S. citizen children, two of whom are minors.

Chea arrived in the U.S. in 1980 at the age of eleven with his parents and five siblings after escaping the Khmer Rouge genocide. Because he witnessed multiple murders and acts of violence at a young age, he was later diagnosed with PTSD. In 2011, he got caught up in a federal investigation of a drug conspiracy case at his place of employment. He played a minor role, but took full responsibility for his crime and served his sentence of 12 months and one day. Unfortunately, this mistake was enough to trigger deportation proceedings against him, and on March 10, 2015, an immigration judge ordered his deportation.

Chea Bou and his wife, Sambath, have been married almost 30 years. With her husband behind bars awaiting deportation, she alone has carried the burden of working to support her family. Just three years ago, the family was devastated when their 16-year-old son died from leukemia. Before passing, he wrote a letter to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, requesting that his father be kept safe from deportation. In 2006, another son was shot and killed while visiting family for a cousin’s birthday party. Despite all of these tragedies, Chea continues to live a very active faith life. He has been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints since 1985, volunteering at events and donating money to support the local Cambodian community. To learn more and sign the petition, click here.