[juyrett]

rclaimo, having re-read that your friend is from Laos, here's another tidbit. Most every country in the world has agreements (or treaties?) that will let the US send a felon/deportee back to their country of origin. The country exceptions to this can be counted on one hand. Two of those exceptions are Laos and Cuba (and I think Viet Nam also). Since Laos will refuse to take back a US felon of Lao birth citizenship, the attorney in SD told me that the felon will most usually reside indefinitely in an immigration confinement prison until the US immigration authorities decide what to do with him (or her). It sounds like your friend's family was extremely fortunate (money has a way of doing that) to get him out during the pre-hearing phase.

Based on what the attorney did not tell me (by default), US felons of Thai origin without US citizenship would get deported back to Thailand. I wonder what happens to them after that.