US starts process of deporting thousands of illegal Vietnamese immigrants

Washington has started deportation proceedings for thousands of Vietnamese living illegally in the United States following the completion of a pact between the two countries, a top U.S. immigration official said Tuesday.

But Julie Myers, director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, eased some Vietnamese groups' fears by saying those who have lived in the country for more than 13 years would not be deported.

"We're just going to begin the process of returning individuals back to Vietnam," Myers said in an interview with The Associated Press during a visit to Singapore. "The Vietnamese government has been very cooperative and helpful in this process as we've identified particular cases to move forward on."

The agreement was completed in late January but took 60 days to come into effect, Myers said. It provides steps for the U.S. to deport Vietnamese citizens who lack required documents, and for Vietnam to receive them.

"Every country in the world has a responsibility by treaty to take back their nationals. This agreement simply says that Vietnam will follow what every country in the world has to do with respect to taking back their nationals," said Myers, who is attending an ICE-sponsored conference in the city-state on forced child labor, child sex tourism and human trafficking.

The deal took 10 years to complete as Vietnam had previously been reluctant to accept citizens back, and community leaders in the U.S. said many immigrants have been living with deportation orders for years, even decades.

The repatriation pact applies to Vietnamese who entered the U.S. illegally after the former foes normalized relations in 1995, and Myers said her agency did not intend to extend that limit. Some critics of the pact had expressed concern that it could be rolled back to include others who entered the United States in the 70s and 80s.

"The agreement is clear in what it covers. It covers individuals who entered the United States (illegally) after 1995," she said.

About 6,200 Vietnamese were given final deportation orders before the agreement's completion, and 1,500 more are involved in proceedings to eventually be sent home.

More than 1.5 million overseas Vietnamese _ the largest Vietnamese population outside Vietnam _ live in the United States. Many fled their native country in boats after the Vietnam War ended in 1975 and northern communist forces took control of the former South Vietnam, which the U.S. had backed.