LANSING, MI - Gov. Gretchen Whitmer this week pardoned Lue Yang, a Hmong refugee who was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs (ICE) enforcement over a decades-old conviction that had been expunged from his record.

Despite that Yang, who was born stateless in a Thailand refugee camp and has lived in the United States since he was a baby, could still be deported to Laos, a country he’s never known.

Yang, a married father of six and Hmong community leader in Clinton County, was put on an ICE flight Wednesday evening that was scheduled to leave for Laos, according to his family and immigration advocates. They are unsure of his exact whereabouts but believe the plane is still in the United States.

“My family and I need Lue to return home where he belongs. This pardon shows the power of h

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