Man deported to Laos despite US court order blocking his removal, attorneys say [View all]

Source: The Guardian/AP

Tue 28 Oct 2025 17.31 EDT
Last modified on Tue 28 Oct 2025 17.37 EDT


Immigration officials have deported a father living in Alabama to Laos despite a federal court order blocking his removal from the US on the grounds he has a claim to citizenship, the man’s attorneys said on Tuesday.

US district judge Shelly Dick last week ordered US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to keep Chanthila “Shawn” Souvannarath, 44, in the United States while he presented what the judge called his “substantial claim of US citizenship”, court records show. He was born in a refugee camp in Thailand but was granted lawful permanent residence in the US before his first birthday, according to court filings.

But Souvannarath on Sunday messaged his wife on WhatsApp and told her he was in Dongmakkhai, Laos, according to a screenshot she shared with the Associated Press. The message ends with “love y’all”. “It is very unfortunate, especially for the children that we have together,” Beatrice Souvannarath told AP.

Emails, phone calls and text messages sent to ICE and the US Department of Homeland Security were not immediately returned.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/28/ice-deportation-alabama-laos