Overview
- U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick issued a temporary restraining order on October 23 directing ICE to keep Chanthila “Shawn” Souvannarath in the country during litigation of his status.
- DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the order was not served to ICE until after Souvannarath’s Friday removal to Laos and rejected assertions that the agency violated the court.
- Attorneys for Souvannarath have asked the federal court to order his immediate return, arguing the deportation was unlawful and prevented him from pursuing his case.
- Souvannarath was detained during a June 18 check-in and held at the new Louisiana Lockup inside the Angola prison complex; his wife later received a WhatsApp message saying he was in Dongmakkhai, Laos.
- Court filings say he was born in a Thai refugee camp, became a U.S. lawful permanent resident as an infant, and claims derivative citizenship through his father’s naturalization, while DHS cites 2004 assault and firearm convictions and a 2006 removal order.