Quote[/b] ]On March 22, 2002, the US and Cambodian governments signed a repatriation agreement in which the US government could now deport certain Cambodian American noncitizens convicted of "aggravated felonies." Because of the Cold War political climate, the US did not have diplomatic relationships with several Southeast Asian countries, including Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos for the last 25 years. With no such "repatriation agreements," Southeast Asian immigrant non citizens eligible for deportation were being held indefinitely in Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) custody because they had no country to be deported to........The US is currently in negotiations with Vietnam and Laos for repatriation agreements, and such agreements could potentially put 9,000 Laotians and Vietnamese refugees in danger of deportation. Even without an agreement, the US government is claiming that such deportation to Laos and Vietnam in light of current negotiations is within the "foreseeable future" and is using this rationale to detain immigrants from these countries for an indefinite period of time.
Quote[/b] ]....allowing for the deportation of any non-citizen (of any status) who is convicted of an “aggravated felony” or who overstays their visas.....A drastic 1996 anti-immigrant law, the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA), expanded the definition of “aggravated felony” (meaning the sentence is for more than a year) to include seemingly minor offenses such as shoplifting and marijuana possession.