He was a Texan dad who had never left America. Then he got deported to Laos
The Economist
February 19, 2026
AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary
A Texan father who had never left the United States was involuntarily deported to Laos in May 2026, marking a stark example of how Trump-era immigration policies are reshaping lives. Khamphat Paneboun, a 43-year-old from Amarillo, Texas, found himself on a charter flight bound for Laos after being shackled and forced to leave the country he had called home since arriving as a child refugee in 1990. This case highlights the human cost of stricter deportation policies, which are increasingly targeting individuals with tenuous or unknown citizenship statuses.
Paneboun’s story is unique but not isolated. His journey began in Sacramento, California, where he was brought as a young refugee. Over the next three decades, he built a life in America, raising a family and establishing roots in Texas. However, his lack of documentation made him a target under the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement. Deportation to Laos, a country he had never visited, left him in an unfamiliar land without ties or support networks.
This case underscores broader trends in U.S. immigration policy and its economic implications. The deportation process itself is costly, involving chartered flights and security measures that strain resources. Meanwhile, receiving countries like Laos face the challenge of integrating individuals with no prior connection to their nations. Such situations raise questions about the
Verticals
businesseconomics
Originally published on The Economist on 2/19/2026