Reeves Immigration Law Group is urgently seeking the release of Cambodian refugee Sithy Yi from ICE custody after she was unlawfully detained during a routine check-in on January 8, 2026. Ms. Yi is currently being held at the ICE Processing Center in Adelanto, California.
On January 14, 2026, lead attorney Kim Luu-Ng, assisted by attorney Ben Loveman, filed a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus against U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, and senior officials of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) (S.Y. v. Semaia, et al.). Ms. Yi is a survivor of brutal torture in Cambodia and years of domestic violence in the United States. Her detention serves no purpose other than to sow fear, undermine the rule of law, and has no legitimate purpose.
Ms. Yi came to the United States after surviving the Khmer Rouge genocide and has lived here for 44 years. In 2016, following a drug conviction, a U.S. Immigration Judge granted her withholding of removal under the United Nations Convention Against Torture, recognizing the risk that she would be tortured if returned to Cambodia. Ms. Yi is also a victim of severe domestic violence and a cooperating crime survivor with a long-pending U-visa petition supported by a law-enforcement certification. For more than a decade, the Department of Homeland Security repeatedly determined that her detention was unnecessary and permitted her to live in the community under an order of supervision.
“Ms. Yi has lived in the United States for more than four decades,” said attorney Kim Luu-Ng, who has represented her since 2013. “All of her immediate family are U.S. citizens—her husband, mother, sisters, six children, and eight grandchildren. She has rebuilt her life, complied with every requirement imposed on her, and lived peacefully in the community for years. Yet ICE unjustly tore her away from her family and now seeks to deport her to a third country where she faces grave danger or refoulement back to Cambodia. She is a survivor of genocide and domestic violence and deserves protection, not detention.”
“During the Khmer Rouge period, Ms. Yi single-handedly led her mother and two sisters to safety,” Luu-Ng added. “To now rip her away from her family is cruel and inhumane.”
Yi’s sister, Sithea San, said, “My sister and I escaped death together during the genocide and rebuilt our lives here. Now she is detained, and I cannot protect her. She is scared, depressed, and does not understand why this is happening after she cooperated with the police. I am anxious and stressed every day.”
“Our family feels abandoned by a system that promised to protect crime victims,” Ms. San added. “This is not the America we believed in—the America that protects vulnerable people and values compassion and human rights.”
AAPI Equity Alliance (AAPI Equity) and Pacific Asian Counseling Services (PACS) are providing support and calling for Ms. Yi’s immediate release and an end to efforts to deport her to a third country.
“Ms. Sithy Yi’s story is not isolated,” said Manjusha P. Kulkarni, Executive Director of AAPI Equity Alliance. “Southeast Asians, many of them refugees, are being detained at routine immigration check-ins and not returning home to their families. This is deplorable. Ms. Yi is a beloved mother and grandmother who has endured unfathomable violence. We join the call for her immediate release and urge leaders at every level to condemn this unlawful denial of due process.”
“Pacific Asian Counseling Services has spent decades serving survivors of genocide, domestic violence, and severe trauma in Los Angeles County,” said Myron Dean Quon, Esq., Chief Executive Officer of PACS. “Ms. Yi’s case reflects exactly why that work matters. Detaining a survivor who has complied with every requirement and poses no risk does not advance public safety—it inflicts further harm. Communities are stronger when survivors are supported, not re-traumatized.”
This case highlights a profound moral and humanitarian failure by our government and exposes violations of U.S. domestic law and international human rights obligations. Concerned members of the public are urged to contact their Congressional representatives and demand immediate oversight and action to secure Ms. Yi’s release.
