Phorm Tem, a California resident, was deported in October 2017.

In June 2020, he was sworn in as a U.S. citizen.

Tem’s story is symbolic of the plight that many Southeast Asian refugees – from Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos - who fled their countries as young children during the Vietnam War and its aftermath.

Except that he is the only Cambodian deportee to overcome his conviction to win naturalization.

And after 2017, under America's new political leadership, the number of deported Cambodian refugees has grown almost 280%.

Recommended Links For More Information:

From Cambodian Political Refugee To College Professor

Cambodian Refugees: Targets Of Deportation Under IIRAIRA