Tue Huynh left Vietnam at age 13 to join his father. The next year, his father became a US Citizen, but he did not know he should also apply for a Green Card on Tue's behalf. At 16, feeling outcast as he was struggling to adapt to a completely foreign land, Tue joined a gang. At age 17, Tue was arrested for having been present during a gang stabbing (he was not the one stabbing). His public defender pressed Tue, who was naive about the US legal system, to take a plea deal so he would not potentially get a life sentence. He plead guilty to lesser charges, but was harshly sentenced to 24 years. 

Tue worked hard on himself while incarcerated, and was found suitable for early release in 2019. Upon leaving prison, he was immediately picked up by ICE. He won his case against ICE, but now they have reversed the decision, and he has until July 25 to appeal - or be deported back to a country he left as a child. Tue has a promising life here in the US, surrounded by a support network. He volunteers for the community workers for LA County, has gained admission to Villanova University, and had a good job with Americorps (but they had to let him go due to immigration status).

More importantly to me, Tue is my friend. He loves hiking. He is an introvert who loves to express himself through writing, though he's gotten out of his comfort zone and performed in plays. He loves taking silly pictures, and is great at sneaking in to photobomb (ironically - I'm photobombing him in the pic above). He embodies gratitude, and loves playing tourist here in our own city, Los Angeles. He is a wonderful human being who has positive things to add to our community.

Let's tell the Board of Immigration to let Tue stay in America!