My name is Shannon Carey, and I have had the privilege of knowing and working alongside my close friend, Panomphet “Billy” Sangvone, for more than 20 years. We are teammates at a federally insured bank, where we have spent our careers helping families and individuals achieve the dream of homeownership.

Over that time, I have seen Billy’s character consistently proven. Nearly two decades ago, he was convicted of a single, non-violent offense related to marijuana distribution. His role was limited, his involvement minimal, and he accepted responsibility without excuses. He served his sentence, complied fully with the law, and has spent every year since demonstrating—through his actions—that he is far more than a mistake from his past.

Since then, Billy has built a life rooted in responsibility and service. He is a respected mortgage banker, a devoted husband, and a loving father and grandfather. Much of his life has been devoted to caring for his parents and his mother-in-law, who battles COPD and early-stage rheumatoid arthritis. Family, work, and service define who he is.

That same commitment extends into his community. Billy serves on the board of Concrete Orkidz, supporting inner-city youth, volunteers with Inspire2Teach1 to help students pursue higher education, and has long supported She Has A Name, which assists survivors of sex trafficking. These are sustained, hands-on commitments.

Given this history, what followed was deeply disturbing. Billy was detained by ICE shortly after dropping his child off at school. Agents had been following him and surrounded him nearly two blocks from his home, taking him into custody as if he were a top-priority criminal target. Multiple agents restrained him in what resembled a tactical operation rather than a routine civil matter. For a man with no violent criminal history—someone simply going about his morning as a parent—the level of force used was shocking and traumatic for both Billy and his family. He was, quite simply, an easy and visible target.

This experience was difficult to reconcile with public assurances that enforcement efforts focus on individuals who pose a threat to public safety. Billy does not fall into that category. He has lived an honest, wholesome life for nearly twenty years—raising a family, caring for elders, and serving his community.

The ordeal did not end there. Billy remained confined in detention centers for an extended period under conditions marked by negligence and abuse, including degrading treatment and a lack of basic care. As days turned into weeks with no resolution, the toll became impossible to ignore.

Faced with indefinite detention under these conditions, Billy and his family were forced to make an impossible decision. Rather than remain detained while his case remained unresolved, they chose for him to return to Laos.

Billy is now alone in a country he is not familiar with—separated from his wife, his children, and the life he built—while his legal battle resumes with the goal of securing a pardon for a decades-old, non-violent offense and reuniting his family.

For these reasons, this petition asks for recognition of rehabilitation, proportionality, and basic humanity. Billy is not defined by a mistake from long ago, but by decades of responsibility, service, and integrity. He has earned the opportunity to move forward without permanent punishment.

As this legal effort continues across borders, the emotional and financial toll on Billy and his family is immense. What is at stake is immediate and real: a family’s future, a father’s place in his children’s lives, and the chance to be together again. For those who wish to stand with Billy and his family, support through his GoFundMe helps sustain this legal fight and reminds them they are not alone.

The GoFundMe link is listed below.

.https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-reunite-panomphet-...