In a significant development, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have apprehended a Vietnamese national who evaded deportation for more than 15 years due to his homeland’s refusal to accept his return. The individual, previously convicted of attempting to murder a police officer, highlights the evolving U.S. approach to deportation policies, now focusing on foreign nationals with criminal backgrounds who were once shielded from removal.
Dinh Quy Nguyen, whose criminal record includes convictions for attempted capital murder of a police officer and burglary on June 28, 1989, was detained in Houston, Texas, on May 5, 2026. Despite a deportation order issued in 1997, Nguyen was released in 2011 after Vietnam declined to repatriate him.
For over ten years, Nguyen’s status rendered him effectively “untouchable” by immigration authorities. A prior agreement between the U.S. and Vietnam precluded the deportation of Vietnamese nationals who had arrived in the United States before July 12, 1995. Since Nguyen entered the country on December 15, 1977, he remained protected from deportation despite his criminal history.
Nguyen’s case serves as a stark reminder of the complexities involved in international immigration agreements and the shifting policies aimed at addressing the challenges posed by individuals with serious criminal convictions. His recent arrest marks a pivotal moment in the enforcement of immigration laws concerning long-standing residents with criminal pasts.
Dinh Quy Nguyen (pictured) was convicted of attempted capital murder of a police officer and burglary on June 28, 1989. (Department of Homeland Security)
“As we observe Police Week, the men and women of ICE law enforcement are removing this illegal alien convicted of attempted murder of a police officer from our communities, so he cannot victimize anymore Americans,” Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital.
“This criminal illegal alien from Vietnam was also previously convicted for burglary. Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, we will always stand by our brave ICE law enforcement who put their lives on the line to arrest heinous criminals from American neighborhoods.”
The arrest marks a significant shift in enforcement under President Donald Trump and Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, according to DHS officials, who say recent policy changes are aimed at removing longstanding barriers that allowed certain convicted criminals to remain in the United States.
Nguyen’s history in the U.S. spans nearly five decades. He was first admitted to the U.S. in 1977 in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge on Dec. 30, 1997, which was affirmed by the Board of Immigration Appeals on May 26, 1998.
On March 17, 2011, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice transferred Nguyen into ICE custody. (John Moore/Getty Images)
On March 17, 2011, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice transferred Nguyen into ICE custody, but he was released on June 22, 2011, because Vietnam refused repatriation.
ICE agents participate in an enforcement operation. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
The Department of Homeland Security said the renewed enforcement effort is part of a broader initiative to ensure “heinous criminals” are no longer able to victimize Americans due to diplomatic technicalities.
Nguyen is currently being held at the Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe, Texas, pending his removal to Vietnam.