Deportee returns, becomes US citizen + Mayor accused of silencing critics: Your AAPI newsletter

It is Thursday, July 9, and this is The Sacramento Bee’s AAPI weekly newsletter.

Here’s a recap of the stories I’ve recently covered and issues I’m following:

The first Cambodian American deportee to return home became a United States citizen last week. Phorn Tem was deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the spring of 2018 to Cambodia, a country he had never visited. He thought he would be stuck for the rest of his life there.

In Cambodia, Tem would have dreams about being in the U.S. at home with his family and friends only to wake up and remember he had been removed. Tem’s deportation was particularly hard for his mother, since he was detained by ICE almost exactly one year after his father died.

“I was scared,” said Sarim, Phorn’s sister who took on extra work shifts while he was in Cambodia to support him. “Never in a million years would I ever think that he would be able to come back. I’d never known anybody that was in this type of situation.”

But in November 2018, Tem flew home to family and friends in Sacramento, becoming the first person to return to the U.S. after being deported to Cambodia. And on June 24, he became a U.S. citizen.

“I feel excited,” Tem said. “I get to vote for the first time, I get to go to jury duty. Even though it’s boring, I want to experience that because that’s part of being a citizen.”

Elk Grove Mayor Steve Ly was accused of trying to silence his critics on social media. Ly, who is the first Hmong mayor in California and possibly the country, was criticized by a number of residents online after posting a statement to Facebook that many viewed as falsely accusing Black Lives Matter protesters of burning down a south Sacramento business.

At least two people were immediately blocked from viewing Ly’s Twitter account, an act many courts say is illegal if done by public officials. And two women said they received veiled threats in text messages and phone calls from his supporters.

Ly’s former campaign manager, Linda Vue, also accused Ly of attempting to use the Hmong clan system to pressure her to delete her posts criticizing Ly. Vue received cryptic messages from a stranger claiming to be the Vue clan representative asking her to delete her posts on behalf of the Ly clan.

“The actions by clan leaders and clan members are out of my control,” Ly said.

But when asked if the clan system was the proper venue to deal with detractors, given that Ly is a public official, Ly’s answers were seemingly contradictory.

“His response is the continuation of his failure to take ownership of how he was responsible for these incidents, how they were played out,” Vue said.

In other news

• Opinion: Indian food, craft beer and an American journey: Hop Junction deserves to make it [The Sacramento Bee]
• Should Fresno State remove Gandhi statue? Growing student movement pushing for change [The Fresno Bee]
• Polling methods are changing, but reporting the views of Asian Americans remains a challenge [Pew Research Center]

• ‘You started the corona!’ As anti-Asian hate incidents explode, climbing past 800, activists push for aid [Los Angeles Times]

• Who Does Boba Guys ‘Bridge Cultures’ For? [SF Weekly]

• San Francisco tech CEO kicked out of Carmel Valley restaurant following racist rant caught on camera [ABC News]
• Asian-American actors reveal why video games can create change faster than movies or TV [Inverse]
• Woman who went on anti-Asian tirades facing arrest on separate battery charge [Los Angeles Times]
• This girl’s reaction to Phillipa Soo in ‘Hamilton’ shows why representation matters [Los Angeles Times]
• Lawmakers Ting, Chiu hearing from Chinese Americans about affirmative action measure [San Francisco Chronicle]

This week in AAPI pop culture

Claudia Kishi, the beloved Japanese-American heroine from “The Baby-Sitters Club” show on Netflix is getting her own documentary on the streaming service. This news comes hot off the heels of Netflix’s TV adaptation, which dropped last week. Kishi was a popular figure in children’s literature not only because of her Asian American heritage, but also because her character went against stereotypes – she’s artistic, she gets bad grades and she’s extremely fashionable. “The Claudia Kishi Club” will be released on Netflix on Friday.

Got a story suggestion? Please reach out to me at awong@sacbee.com.

That’s it for this week’s newsletter. Weekend ideas: Try this scallion bread recipe from Healthy Nibbles, a food blog run by Sacramento-based Lisa Lin. Thanks for reading!

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This story was originally published July 9, 2020 at 9:55 AM.