(VIETNAM) A Maryland mother of four, Mong “Melissa” Tuyen Thi Tran, a Vietnamese refugee and small business owner from Hagerstown, Maryland, was deported to Vietnam on November 17, 2025, leaving her husband and children in the United States and raising sharp questions about how American authorities treat long‑term residents during deportation. Her husband says she and others on the flight were treated “less than animals” as officers moved them out of the country, and he has promised to fight for her return, turning one family’s heartbreak into a wider test of immigration enforcement practices, watched closely by advocates worldwide today.
Tran, who had built a life over many years in Hagerstown, Maryland, was removed under circumstances her family describes as sudden and deeply dehumanizing. According to her husband, officers handling the deportation process spoke harshly to detainees, restricted their movement, and ignored basic comfort needs during transport. He said the experience left him convinced that immigrants facing removal are often seen not as neighbors and workers, but as problems to be processed.
His description of being treated “less than animals” has echoed through local immigrant communities already worried about their own futures, and the safety of relatives still without status.
The family impact
In interviews, the Maryland mother of four described the shock of being sent back to a country she left as a refugee. She had spent her adult life in the United States, raising children and running a business, only to find herself suddenly on a plane deported to Vietnam.
For her American‑born children, the separation means growing up without their mother present at school events, medical appointments, and daily routines. Her husband says he wakes up each day thinking about how to reunite the family and “bring her back where she belongs,” despite years of ties to the Maryland community.
For now he remains in Hagerstown, Maryland, trying to keep their business running and their children emotionally steady while their mother adapts to life thousands of miles away, in a country she barely remembers from childhood and youth.
A second case raising alarms
Her story is not the only one from Maryland prompting concern. In a separate case, 58‑year‑old Rabbiatu Kuyateh was deported from Maryland to Ghana, even though she had no personal ties there and had fled civil war in Sierra Leone three decades ago. Her family says she was placed in shackles for a 10‑hour flight, a detail that has horrified many who hear it.
They describe her removal as not only harsh, but also potentially unlawful, given that a United States judge had ruled she could not be returned to Sierra Leone because of the risk of torture upon forced return.
According to her relatives and legal representatives, Kuyateh’s deportation to Ghana happened without proper hearings or advance notice. They say they were not given a meaningful chance to contest the destination country, even though her protection order focused on Sierra Leone and did not imagine she would be sent somewhere else entirely.
For the family, the decision felt like a legal trapdoor opening without warning. Her son has spoken publicly about feeling that the country let his mother down during the COVID‑19 period, when travel and health fears were already high and support systems were stretched.
Community reaction and broader concerns
Both cases have stirred concern far beyond the immediate families. Community members in and around Hagerstown have questioned how a long‑settled refugee and Maryland mother of four could be placed on a plane so quickly, while advocates for African immigrants ask how a woman with no ties to Ghana ended up there in chains.
For many, the images described by relatives—tight shackles, long flights, and abrupt goodbyes—fit into a larger pattern of strict enforcement that appears to leave little room for compassion or transparency. Families describe feeling powerless, confused, and afraid to contact authorities for help in such moments.
Advocates say the stories of Tran and Kuyateh highlight how deportation can tear apart families who have lived in the United States for decades, even when they fled war or violence. While each case has its own legal record, relatives insist that basic civil rights and human dignity should not disappear once a person is placed in immigration custody.
They point to the use of shackles on a 58‑year‑old woman and the description of people treated “less than animals” as evidence that the system often forgets its human impact — especially on children, spouses, and aging parents left behind.
“Basic civil rights and human dignity should not disappear once a person is placed in immigration custody.”
— Family members and advocates
Government position and policy context
The federal government has long defended deportations as a lawful way to enforce immigration decisions once appeals are completed. Official information about removal procedures is available on the U.S. government’s website, including public guidance on detention and transport policies.
These Department of Homeland Security pages describe, in general terms, how individuals are processed for return to other countries. But families like those of Tran and Kuyateh say that whatever is written in policy manuals does not match what they saw and felt during late‑night transfers, airport holds, and long flights abroad.
Calls for reform and next steps
According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, cases like these often prompt calls for:
- Clearer notice to families prior to removal
- Stronger review of destination countries before deportation
- Limits on the use of restraints during long‑haul journeys
- Greater transparency and safeguards in deportation procedures
In Tran’s case, her husband has vowed to “bring her back,” suggesting he will pursue every legal channel available to reopen her case or seek a fresh path to reunification.
Immediate challenges for the deported women
Both women now face immediate uncertainties:
- Housing and shelter in unfamiliar countries
- Income and employment prospects
- Access to health care and social services
- Rebuilding social networks after long absences
For Tran, being deported to Vietnam means starting over in a country marked by memories of flight and hardship rather than the daily routines she built in the United States. For Kuyateh, arriving in Ghana meant stepping into a nation where she had no family network at all.
What families want
Back in Maryland, relatives hope that public attention to the Maryland mother of four and the 58‑year‑old grandmother will force officials to answer hard questions about how such deportations were carried out, and whether safeguards protected them.
They seek:
- Full explanation of the legal basis for the removals
- Transparency about destination decisions and alternatives
- Review of restraint and transport practices
- Paths to legal redress or reunification where appropriate
The cases have become focal points for broader debates about enforcement, human dignity, and how long‑term residents and refugees are treated when immigration systems move to remove them.
Mong “Melissa” Tran, a Hagerstown mother and business owner, was deported to Vietnam on Nov. 17, 2025, leaving four U.S.‑born children. Family members report abrupt, dehumanizing treatment during removal; similar concerns arose when a 58‑year‑old woman was shackled and sent to Ghana despite prior protection rulings. Community advocates demand clearer notice, stronger review of destination countries, limits on restraints, and transparency. Tran’s husband pledges legal action to seek reunification and accountability.
