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Community members, activists and family members gathered Saturday outside Das Good Cafe in Germantown to show solidarity and rally in support of owner Anovsack “Anou” Vongbandith, who was detained by federal immigration officials last month.
Vongbandith’s wife, Ahn, told Resolve Philly that on July 28, her husband was detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is currently being held at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center.
Protesters brought signs and chanted “Who’s our neighbor? Anou’s our neighbor” and “Care not cages.” Some attended because they knew Vongbandith. Many, like Chris Hoepner, came because they wanted to fight back against deportation efforts.
“The idea that they can, you know, they arrest people that have been living here and fighting for their rights,” Hoepner said. “We have to stand up for immigrants no matter where they’re from.”
He was hopeful, however, that the rally could lead to a positive outcome.
“We’ve had amnesties that we’ve won in the past,” Hoepner said. “So I think it’s totally realizable.”
Dozens of speakers, including Vongbandith’s wife Ahn, state Sen. Art Haywood and state Rep. Chris Rabb, local advocacy groups and Rev. Greg Holston, addressed the gathering.
State Rep. Chris Rabb speaks at a rally for Anovsack “Anou” Vongbandith, who was detained by federal immigration officials last month. (Nate Harrington/WHYY)
Holston called out what he termed as the hypocrisy of the “American dream in today’s context,” saying that “if we’re really about that, then we have to stand with Anou.”
Vongbadith came to the U.S. when he was 5, fleeing Laos with his parents to escape the communist regime. He was on his way to citizenship, but ran into legal troubles when he and his wife were accused of sexual misconduct, which resulted in Vongbandith’s children being removed from their custody, as reported by Resolve Philly.
His wife previously said that Vongbadith was in custody while his kids were in foster care, so the plea deal was given as the fastest way out. Vongbadith would continue checking in with ICE every six months while he remained in the country, according to Heyward.
“Like so many others before him, Anou took a plea,” Ahn said. “When your resources are drained, when you’re exhausted, and when you want this nightmare to end, you just take what you think is the only way out.”