“When Love Turns to Action”

Ched Nin

Cambodian | Farmington, MN | he/him/his | Private Sector

My name is Ched Nin. I was born in Parchanraur, Thailand, and am a 1.5 generation Cambodian refugee. I have lived in the United States for 34 years. I currently reside in Farmington, Minnesota, and work as a commercial carpenter for the Carpenters Union Local 322. I am one of the MN8 – one of the eight Cambodian Minnesotans who fought Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) to stop deportation.

August 26, 2016 changed my life. On this day, I was detained by ICE. On this day, I became an advocate and an organizer.

In the six and a half months in ICE detention, my will was tested. I was moved from center to center in shackles with little to no food or water. I was alive, but completely uncertain about where I was going.

My only source of strength during this time was LOVE. My wife and family radiated love. From inside my cell I heard their fight, because I realized that the guards and other detainees were starting to call us, the eight Cambodians who were detained, the “MN8 boys.” I began seeing my family in newspapers, even my mom was on the news in a protest. My family and community were fighting so hard, and that gave me strength to fight from within the system.

I prepared my case, and on February 24, 2017 I was released. Being in the arms of my family – it was the greatest feeling in the world. I had survived the system.

I attended my first ReleaseMN8 meeting. I received so much care and love from strangers. I was amazed by what my wife had built, and how she had organized people to fight for me and others they didn’t even know. I learned that it was her love that moved people into action.

Our people need liberty and justice, so after my release I continued fighting for the other MN8 brothers still in ICE detention centers. I now volunteer with ReleaseMN8. I continue to share my story, and meet with other impacted individuals. It’s my way of pushing the love back into my community. Being inside ICE detention centers was tough, but because of community love I survived.

#MinneAsianStories Series