Forty-two years ago, more than 1.2 million refugees fled Southeast Asia and were resettled in the United States, the largest refugee group in U.S. history. But since 1998, almost 16,000 refugees received orders of removal — 78 percent of which were based on old criminal records.
In 2015, the #Right2Return Campaign was launched collectively by the Southeast Asian Freedom Network with 1Love Movement in hopes to end the deportation of Cambodian refugees, and the separation of families. Last fall, independent producer Sahra V. Nguyen traveled with 1Love from Philadelphia to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to meet with a task force made up of representatives of the Cambodian government. The goal for 1Love and its partners: halt deportations and renegotiate the 2002 repatriation agreement that opened the pathway for the U.S. to deport Cambodian refugees back to Cambodia.
RELATED: Forty Years After Resettlement, Thousands of Southeast Asian Refugees Face Deportation
"Deported" is a five-part documentary series on "NBC Asian America Presents...," a digital video channel that features original content centered around themes and voices found in Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
"NBC Asian America Presents..." videos can also be watched on NBC Asian America's Facebook page, NBC News' official YouTube channel, and the NBC News app available on mobile devices, Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV.
Catch up on more videos online at NBCAsianAmericaPresents.com.
Watch "Deported" on NBC Asian America — coming soon.
Follow NBC Asian America on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr.
