Vietnam to support deportations from US after tariff threats lawyer says

HANOI - Vietnam has pledged to support the repatriation of a few dozen Vietnamese nationals detained in the US and to quickly handle new requests for deportations after US threats of trade tariffs and visa sanctions, a lawyer briefed on the matter said.

The move is part of a broader set of concessions the communist-run country is considering to avoid duties that could cripple its economy, which is the most reliant on exports to the US among all top US trade partners.

Vietnam has agreed to respond to US deportation requests in 30 days, “which is a lot faster than they have ever done in the past”, said Mr Tin Thanh Nguyen, a US-based immigration attorney.

Relaying information he obtained from a Vietnamese official, he said Hanoi had also agreed during the first month of the second Trump presidency to issue travel documents for 30 detained Vietnamese nationals, paving the way for their deportation.

He said that was unusual because Vietnam “historically denied issuing them and dragged out the process”, effectively preventing many deportations.

When asked about Vietnam, Mr Brian Hughes, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said: “We expect all countries to take back their citizens in the US illegally, or face consequences such as visa sanctions or tariffs.”

Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry did not reply to a request for comment.

A spokesperson for the Vietnamese ministry had said earlier in February that Vietnam would “continue to cooperate closely with the US on the repatriation of citizens in accordance with signed agreements”.

Trade risks

During the first month of the second Trump administration, 37,660 people were deported, official data show, mostly to Latin American countries. It is unclear how many Vietnamese have been deported but some have been sent to Panama.

The Vietnamese official told Mr Nguyen that