OU alum Hai Nguyen, who came to the U.S. as a Vietnamese refugee, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during a routine appointment for his Employment Authorization Document Monday morning.
A U.S. resident of over 30 years, Nguyen was detained by ICE and transported to the Cimarron Correctional Facility in Cushing because of a 2006 marijuana charge that had been expunged from his record.
OU alum detained by ICE for expunged marijuana charge
Bonnie Forster, Nguyen’s sister-in-law, said because of new immigration policies the family had dreaded Nguyen’s annual visit to update his employment authorization.
“We kind of knew that this might be different, …” Forster said. “He went in, and he never came back out.”
In 2006, Nguyen received a nonviolent marijuana possession charge. After Nguyen completed community service, the charge was expunged in 2014. However, an old removal order tied to that arrest remained on his record, according to reporting by News9.
Aron Holt, Nguyen’s friend of over 10 years, said Nguyen is a longtime member of the Oklahoma community, where he now lives in Moore with his family.
“He came to the United States as a refugee when he was 8 years old, and he’s lived here for more than 30 years, …” Holt said. “He’s got a second grader and a kindergartner. … I hate to think about Holly trying to explain to the kids where their dad is.”
Holt said the family is petitioning in hopes that Nguyen can return home to his kids while they review his case.
“You see it getting closer and closer and closer to your everyday life,” Holt said. “This isn’t on TV anymore. This isn’t in Minneapolis. This is in Moore, Oklahoma, and it’s happening to a great man and a father and a hard worker and a taxpayer.”
Holly Forster-Nguyen, Nguyen’s wife, told OU Daily that Nguyen immigrated to the U.S. with his adopted parents after his father was killed by the Vietnamese government.
“He didn’t have the dad that took him to school or played with him. … (His adopted parents) met those needs, but it was very basic,” Forster-Nguyen said. “He eventually became kind of like their parent. He became their translator for everything.”
Forster-Nguyen said that for their 9- and 5-year-old kids, Nguyen has become the dad he didn’t get to have.
“He has seen his life mission: … He just wanted to be a dad, something that he didn’t really get to have at all, …” Forster-Nguyen said. “To be away from them is the most heartbreaking thing he’s ever felt. I can’t imagine how he’s feeling. I just can’t fathom the pain.”
Two years after Nguyen was arrested, the U.S. signed an agreement with Vietnam stating the U.S. would repatriate Vietnamese citizens who violated U.S. law. The countries agreed that Vietnam would not accept returnees who had arrived in the U.S. prior to July 1995.
Nguyen became ineligible for citizenship following his arrest in 2006 and faced the possibility of being deported.
“He was kind of protected by (Vietnam’s) refusal (to accept returnees before 1995), because he arrived in 1993, …” said Forster-Nguyen. “He was told to go to work. He has a Social Security card. He’s had that since he came, and then (he) just applied for work authorization every year to be able to legally work here in the United States.”
Nguyen has been an employee at Hobby Lobby for 15 years. Nguyen’s family spoke to the Daily about the financial impact this could have on his family and how the medicine that Nguyen’s wife needs could become unaffordable.
“Without that insurance … it puts (my sister) in a financial situation where not only is she losing the income from her husband, who’s not able to work, she’s losing the insurance that was much cheaper because it was through his employer,” Forster said.
Forster-Nguyen said she has been in contact with Hobby Lobby human resources to navigate the situation.
“(They issued) him a leave of absence rather than a termination, and (human resources) let me know that they would at least continue that until April 4. … That would help me be able to maintain, at least for this next month, our health insurance that we get for our family,” Forster-Nguyen said.
In 2020, another agreement signed by the U.S. and Vietnam created a process for deporting immigrants who arrived before 1995. Under this agreement, ICE will have to receive travel documents from Vietnam to deport Nguyen. However, Vietnam does not always issue travel documents upon request, and if ICE does not receive the documents, Nguyen will likely continue to be held at the detention facility for up to 180 days. The family filed a writ of habeas corpus for his release.
“If they had the documents, they probably very immediately would have moved to have him removed, …” Forster said. “The lawyer is going to file (the petition for release), we just signed the agreement today.”
Forster-Nguyen said she and Nguyen went to East Central High School together and later attended OU together.
“All of the friends that are really pioneering every bit of these efforts, ... we met each other at OU,” said Forster-Nguyen. “A significant number of them are first generation. A lot of them have immigrant parents themselves.”
Nguyen graduated from OU with a bachelor’s in sociology in 2015.
“My husband has been in the middle of this diplomatic problem since the day he was born, …” Forster-Nguyen said. “We’re sitting here also as an OU alumni family, really, really heartbroken.”
In a Friday email to OU Daily, ICE confirmed Nguyen’s arrest and cited his past charge as the reason for his arrest.
“Nguyen was originally ordered removed from the United States on Nov. 19, 2007, following a felony conviction for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute in Oklahoma,” the statement reads. “After receiving full due process under the law, Nguyen was released under an order of supervision pending the issuance of a travel document. Nguyen was taken back into ICE custody in 2026 as removal to Vietnam is now considered reasonably foreseeable.”
This story was edited by Macey Thaxton. Kylie Caldwell, Andrew Higgins, Larkin Bock and Mary Ann Livingood copy edited this story.
