Stop the Deportation of Spoken Word Artist
Thea Som

by Amee Chew
June 4, 2005

After a brief release from INS custody, Thea Som of Northampton, MA is again at risk of deportation to Cambodia, which has resumed issuing travel documents after a temporary respite. Som is a 24-year-old spoken word artist who has lived in the U.S. since age five. Born in a refugee camp in Thailand, he has never even set foot in Cambodia, which his family fled during the genocidal regime of the Khmer Rouge.

At age 19, Som was convicted of aggravated assault. Under the immigration reforms of 1996, this conviction meant the loss of Som's refugee status – and deportation, even after Som served his jail sentences to both the INS and ordinary criminal justice systems. Som spent 2.5 years in jail, before being transferred to INS custody, where he was held an additional year – in effect being punished twice compared to a full U.S. citizen.

But while incarcerated, Som rethought his violent youth. Since his release, he has committed himself to helping others, becoming a literacy volunteer and GED adult tutor. Upon release from the INS in June 2004, Som immediately began work and became a trained mentor through the Hampden County Sheriff Department's After Incarceration Support Systems. Som also started writing. He has developed into an accomplished writer and performer through his work with the Performance Project, a non-profit that addresses the issues of incarceration and reintegration into society through performance. Through the Performance Project, Thea supports others in their reintegration into communities after they are released from prison.

In March 2005, INS agents picked Som up from the Performance Project's office while he was working on his admissions essay to Hampshire College. In a demonstration of misplaced zeal, the INS placed Som in custody and has begun deportation proceedings. Punitive enforcement of immigration law has only accelerated under Homeland Security operations since 9/11. Som's immigration lawyer, Michael Boyle, has explored all legal avenues, and his only chance at avoiding deportation is through the mobilization of public support.

Next > Opposing Som's deportation

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Stop Thea Som's deportation!

Contact Massachusetts legislators:

  • Sen. Ted Kenney – ph: 202-224-2417; fax: 202-224-2417
  • Congressman Olver – ph: 413-532-7010; fax: 413-532-6543
  • Senator John Kerry – ph: 413-785-4610, 617-565-8519; fax: 413-736-1049, 617-248-3870, 202-224-8525
  • Congressman Neal – ph: 202-225-5601; fax: 202-225-5759
  • Congressman Capuano – ph: 202-225-5601; fax: 202-225-9322

For more information on how to help, contact:

  • Julie Lichtenberg of the Performance Project at Julie.l@comcast.net, 413-586-4960
  • Joanne Commeford of the AFSC at 413-695-6059.

 

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