‘I felt hopeless’: Hmong refugee stranded in Texas after release from ICE detention

Thi Dua Vang is one of a growing number of Minnesota refugees targeted in a federal operation and rapidly transferred to immigration holding facilities out of state.

By: Katelyn Vue and Andrew Hazzard

Outlets: Sahan Journal

Published: February 5, 2026

Words: 1,584

Last Updated: 1 month, 1 week ago

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Thi Dua Vang had just heard from federal officials that she was going to be released after two weeks of immigration detention in Texas.

“Are you going home by car or plane?” a Hmong interpreter asked the St. Paul woman, who speaks little English, over the phone. Vang didn’t have an answer.

Alone in Houston, Vang said she asked if she could wait inside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing center for a relative …

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