Prosecution for an old crime puts Cambodian refugee at risk

Melinda Youk, 16, during a demonstration by members of the Cambodian community. Mout Iv, who awaits deportation to Cambodia, is her uncle. (JULIETTE LYNCH / Staff Photographer)

Wed, Sep. 29, 2010
By Michael Matza
Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Writer (Pennsylvania, USA)

After he was convicted of assaulting a Philadelphia man in 1998, Cambodian refugee Mout Iv knew he was in the United States on borrowed time.

As it turned out, quite a lot of borrowed time.

He was freed from a Pennsylvania prison after four years, but paperwork snafus prevented his immediate return to Cambodia, as required by law. So immigration agents put Iv on "supervised release," allowing him to open a barber shop in Olney

The government kept tabs on him with scheduled interviews, random phone calls, and unannounced visits.
Please click here to read more...