Ohio town rallies around man who faces deportation to Laos after 40 years in the U.S.

Boudylam “Lam” Simmavanh is a welder and father of four who came to the U.S. as a child refugee from Laos 40 years ago. He knew that after President Donald Trump took office and vowed the “largest deportation operation” in U.S. history, his future could be in peril.

So he and his family began gathering letters in February from family and community members attesting to his character and his positive impact on their small town of Orrville, Ohio. They hoped the letters would show officials why someone like Simmavanh, 48, should remain in their community.

“Allow productive people, like Lam, the avenue to stay with his family. This can’t be fixed by tearing families apart that have lived here most of their lives,” wrote David Handwerk, the former mayor of Orrville who taught Simmavanh and his siblings when they were students at the local school.

“Lam has been a role model and someone I look up to because of his kindness, loyalty and duty to provide and protect his family,” Korbin Sprowls, his son-in-law, wrote.

His friend Rachel Wallace wrote: “Losing Lam to deportation would be devastating to more than just his wife and children.”

The more than two dozen letters, half of which were shared with NBC News, described Simmavanh as a loving family man who worked hard to serve his community and act as a mentor to others in his industry.

On Oct. 28, after 18 years of regular Immigration and Customs Enforcement check-ins, Simmavanh’s fears came true. He was detained at an appointment.

Simmavanh’s family told NBC News his case shows how good people contributing to this country are getting swept up as the Trump administration says it is focused on arresting “the worst of the worst.”

In an interview with “60 Minutes” earlier this month, Trump said he felt immigration enforcement raids across the country “haven’t gone far enough.” When asked if he intends to deport those without criminal records, he said, “We have to start off with a policy, and the policy has to be, you came into the country illegally, you’re going to go out.”

As of Sept. 25, ICE data showed there were more than 59,000 immigrants in its custody. Of those, the agency said 28.7% had criminal convictions and 25.4% with pending criminal charges.

“We’re just a simple family trying to live our life from day to day to pay our bills. My children are devastated and everybody in this community has been pulling for us, saying he’s no threat to this community,” said Audra Simmavanh, 42, his wife of more than 20 years who is a U.S. citizen. She said Lam is a devoted father to his four children, who range in age from 6 to 27 years old.

Melanie Joyce, Audra Simmavanh’s sister, said that day when he was detained, Simmavanh was held in a locked room where he was separated from his family by a dividing glass and only able to speak through a phone hanging on the wall. “Now he’s immediately like a criminal on the other side of a glass, and our ICE officer would not let him come around and hug his wife and kids goodbye,” she said.

Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that Simmavanh is in the country illegally from Laos and was previously charged with carrying a concealed weapon and domestic violence. The agency also said that Simmavanh had been given an order of removal and had “received full due process.”

“Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, if you break the law, you will face the consequences. Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.,” DHS said in the statement.

Audra Simmavanh said DHS’ claims do not capture her husband’s full story. She said the charges stem from a disputed domestic incident from 1999 that did not involve her and where her husband received poor representation. He pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor charges at the advice of his lawyer and was sentenced to six months’ probation, court documents show.

“People are believing the lies that are being told when they’re saying they’re only getting these bad, bad criminals,” said Audra Simmavanh, who described her husband as a loving father who put his family first.

Simmavanh first came to the U.S. in 1986 as a refugee fleeing Laos’ repressive government and was sponsored by a local church, his wife said. His family said it was unclear what happened to his first green card, which was issued in 1986, but he was issued a second green card in 2000. Simmavanh was then detained in 2007 after ICE told him he had missed a court date that the family says they never knew about. An immigration judge ruled he could be deported, but Laos was not accepting its citizens back from the U.S. at the time. Simmavanh was allowed to stay and work, while appearing for yearly check-ins with ICE.

Audra Simmavanh said her family recently had hope again after a petition she submitted to sponsor her husband for a green card was approved during the Biden administration.

“His situation is just unconscionable,” said Jenny Fischer, a local advocate for immigrants who teaches English. “We’re asking people to do things that are literally insurmountable.” Families often have to pay large sums of money over years between hiring immigration attorneys, filing documents and renewing work permits.

Simmavanh’s absence is now being felt throughout the community, Audra Simmavanh said, including at the company where he worked for 25 years as a welder. “He’s mentored a lot of welders that have come in that have been young,” she said.

“If you’ve ever made a single mistake in your life and you’re not a citizen, it is hard to get out of that loop,” Joyce said.

Though the community has helped raise money for the family, Audra Simmavanh worries about their future. With her husband in detention, she had to apply for Medicaid because they no longer have health insurance for their children through his job. Now, she says she’ll likely have to sell her house, too.

“My community is definitely fighting,” she said, “calling the governor’s office, calling state representatives, calling so many people just to figure out why is this happening to good people.”