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UW–Madison shares support for the Hmong community

February 18, 2020

Translations available
नेपाली Nepali   中文 Chinese    Español    Hmoob  བོད་ཡིག Tibetan

UW–Madison is expressing support and sharing resources for Hmong community members following news reports that the federal government has opened negotiations that would allow the U.S. to deport certain Hmong residents to Laos.

“We support and value all members of our community, especially our Hmong members during this period,” says Chancellor Rebecca Blank.

The negotiations are around a repatriation agreement that would allow the U.S. to more easily deport 4,500 non-citizens who have committed crimes or have deportation orders against them. More than 49,000 Hmong live in Wisconsin, including a vibrant community in Madison.

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers and other elected officials and community leaders have opposed the negotiations, calling on the U.S. State Department to reconsider the action.

If you are a student who would like to talk to someone in response to this or any other situation, you may contact the Dean of Students office at (608) 263-5700 or dean@studentlife.wisc.edu or the Multicultural Student Center at (608) 262-4503 msc@studentlife.wisc.edu.

Counseling or crisis support as a result of this incident or any other situation may be obtained by calling University Health Services Counseling and Consultation Services at (608) 265-5600 or drop-in between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. If you need immediate assistance after hours or on weekends, please call the UHS Crisis Line at (608) 265-5600, option 9. For more information, visit uhs.wisc.edu.

Staff and faculty who would like to talk to someone in response to this or any other situation may contact the Employee Assistance Office at (608) 263-2987 or visit eao.wisc.edu. Employees can also contact Cultural Linguistic Services via Jzong Thao at 608-263-2217.

For local resources, please view the following links:

In addition, UW is reiterating information on its policies and practices:

  • UW–Madison will not provide information on immigration status of its students, faculty or staff unless required to do so.
  • The UW–Madison Police Department (UWPD) will not participate in immigration enforcement actions conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers (ICE). Campus resources are limited and such enforcement is not part of UWPD’s mission, duties or philosophy. UWPD will only participate in immigration-related investigations if an individual has committed serious crimes which impact the campus.
  • U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers must use appropriate legal processes if they are on campus and wish to contact individual students about enforcement-related issues.