A Vietnamese American Heading ICE

Summary

Tony Pham, a Vietnamese American refugee, was appointed as the Acting Director of ICE, sparking a critical response from his cousin, Philippa PB Hughes, who challenges his stance on immigration policies and the alignment of his role with their family's history.

Abstract

Tony Pham's appointment as the Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in August 2020 has brought attention to the complexities of immigration policy and the American dream. Pham, who arrived in the U.S. as a refugee in 1975, has been praised by conservative family members for his achievement. However, his cousin Philippa PB Hughes has expressed dismay over his role in enforcing what she describes as "cruel and dehumanizing immigration policies," contrasting this with the more welcoming refugee policies of the past, particularly under President Ford. Hughes points out the irony in Pham's position, given that his family was granted refuge in the U.S. during a time when public sentiment was less favorable to Vietnamese refugees. She also draws parallels between the experiences of Vietnamese refugees and the historical incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, emphasizing the struggle for acceptance and citizenship in America. Despite her attempts to engage with Pham, Hughes has received no response, prompting her to share her perspective in a Medium article.

Opinions

Philippa PB Hughes is critical of Tony Pham's role in ICE, believing it contradicts the compassionate treatment their family received as refugees.
Hughes highlights the stark contrast between past and present U.S. refugee admission policies, criticizing the current administration's significant reduction in refugee caps.
Hughes draws a parallel between the plight of Vietnamese refugees and the unjust treatment of Japanese Americans during WWII, underscoring the recurring theme of struggling for acceptance in America.
The author of the web content suggests that Vietnamese refugees and their descendants have become prominent leaders in America, contributing to the narrative of the immigrant dream.
Hughes' article implies that Pham's narrative of following a "lawful path to citizenship" overlooks the broader context of refugee resettlement and the support his family received.

Read what his cousin wrote on Medium

Immigration is a big issue

Tony Pham is a Vietnamese American who was appointed in August 2020 as the Acting Director of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) He is the fifth person to hold the title of Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director since Donald Trump took office. Pham says that the agency’s work is vital to keeping a pathway open for legal immigrants.

Pham came to the United States in 1975 at the age of two as a refugee from Vietnam. He traveled with his mother and two sisters. His father joined them later, and they ended up living in Virginia.

Philippa PB Hughes, a cousin of Pham, wrote an article on Medium in November 2020 entitled, “My Cousin Runs ICE. He’s Killing the Same American Dream Granted to His Own Parents. The lie at the heart of the Pham family ‘pass to freedom’.”

Hughes started out her article with these three paragraphs:

In August, my mother forwarded me an email. “Trump administration taps Vietnam refugee as new ICE chief,” it said. I opened it, and learned that my cousin, Tony Pham, had just been appointed to lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Tony’s ascent to this position instilled great pride in my family, especially among the older members who skew politically conservative. I, however, was appalled that my cousin allowed his identity as a refugee to be used as cover for the enforcement of increasingly cruel and dehumanizing immigration policies. And I questioned my cousin’s claim that he had followed the “lawful path to citizenship,” which doesn’t give a full picture of what really happened.

My cousin came to this country in 1975, one of 125,000 Vietnamese refugees who were resettled in the United States as a result of the Vietnam War, despite strong public opposition. “To ignore the refugees in their hour of need would be to repudiate the values we cherish as a nation of immigrants,” said President Ford, who’d fought to bring them here. “I was not about to let Congress do that.” This year, President Trump capped the number of refugees our country would accept at 18,000 worldwide. Had my cousin needed refuge in the United States today, the chances he would be permitted to enter would be slim.

When the communists took over Vietnam in 1975, millions of people were desperate to flee the country. This was certainly true for my uncles, who had served in the South Vietnamese military alongside U.S. troops. They would have faced certain torture and possible death had they stayed. Like today’s refugees, they would undertake any means possible to avoid persecution and to protect their families.

My experience with the refugees

When I was serving in the California State Legislature as an Assemblyman in 1975, thousands of refugees were coming to the United States. A camp settlement for some of them had been established temporarily at Camp Pendleton in California. Because I was a State Official and had an Asian face, I and members of my staff went to Camp Pendleton to welcome the new refugees who had come to America with hope and dreams. There were tents set up. Although we needed an interpreter, they seemed pleased that someone would welcome them.

Although my family had lived in Utah and were not incarcerated in camps during World War II as were most Japanese Americans living on the West Coast of the United States, I had studed about that issue. Visiting this camp of recently arrived Vietnamese refugees made me think of the camp experience of Japanese Americans who were unjustly uprooted from their homes and placed in camps. They lived in barracks instead of tents, but there were similarities although most were American citizens.

Hughes does not hold the same views as her cousin, Tony Pham. She has tried to reach out to him, but he has not responded to her. I recommend that you read the article by Hughes on Medium to gain further information. She tells her cousin’s story of getting to the United States as well as her own family’s story. It is an interesting article about Vietnamese refugees, immigration, and ICE.

Vietnamese refugees and their families have become leaders in America. They are part of the larger group of Asian Americans. They have worked hard to achieve the immigrant dream in this land of opportunity.

[Sources: Medium article by Philippa PB Hughes, Wikipedia]