Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested a Vietnamese national convicted of attempting to murder a police officer after he remained free in America for over fifteen years because his home country refused to accept him back. The May 2026 arrest in Houston marks a dramatic policy shift targeting foreign criminals previously shielded from deportation by diplomatic loopholes.
Criminal Walked Free Despite 1989 Conviction
Dinh Quy Nguyen was convicted of attempted capital murder of a police officer and burglary on June 28, 1989. An immigration judge ordered his deportation in December 1997, affirmed by the Board of Immigration Appeals in May 1998. Despite these orders, Nguyen was released from ICE custody in June 2011 after Vietnam refused repatriation. He remained free in American communities until his recent arrest.
After being taken into ICE custody in 2011, Nguyen was released and allowed to roam free in our communities due to a previous
Diplomatic Agreement Protected Violent Offenders
Under a previous bilateral agreement, the United States could not deport Vietnamese citizens who arrived before July 12, 1995. Nguyen arrived in Honolulu on December 15, 1977, making him effectively untouchable by immigration officials despite his violent criminal record. For over a decade, immigration enforcement considered him beyond their reach. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice transferred Nguyen to ICE custody in March 2011, but he walked free three months later when Vietnam refused to take him.
Trump Administration Changes Enforcement Policy
Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis stated the arrest demonstrates renewed commitment to removing criminal foreign nationals from American neighborhoods. The Department of Homeland Security credits policy changes under President Donald Trump and Secretary Markwayne Mullin with eliminating longstanding barriers that allowed convicted criminals to remain in the country. Officials say the enforcement shift aims to ensure diplomatic technicalities no longer protect heinous criminals from deportation.
What Happens Next
Nguyen is currently held at the Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe, Texas, awaiting removal to Vietnam. The case represents a test of whether new diplomatic arrangements will succeed where previous agreements failed. Immigration officials say the arrest during Police Week honors law enforcement officers targeted by violent criminals. The broader enforcement initiative targets other foreign nationals with serious criminal convictions who previously benefited from similar diplomatic protections.
I am with the President. These individuals would likely be in prison if they committed this offense and were citizens. Get rid of them all.
100% correct
Past time for these criminals to be returned to their home countries, whether they want them back or not, their home countries are going to get them and they can then do with them what they choose. They are not Americans and are here harming American citizens. There is no reason to keep them in our country.
send him to Somalia
Was he convicted of the crime in the US or elsewhere? If in the US why was he not in a US prison? If elsewhere we might have to consider where and why.