From The Banner · Sapna Bansil · · 3m
Melissa Tran’s deportation forces family split
A Maryland nail salon owner’s deportation to Vietnam leaves her children in the U.S. while she stays behind.
In brief
A Maryland nail salon owner’s deportation to Vietnam leaves her children in the U.S. while she stays behind. Melissa Tran, a U.S.-born Vietnamese refugee, was deported to Vietnam after 20 years in the U.S. and now faces a split family where her two youngest children stay with her while her husband and older children…
Melissa Tran’s deportation
Melissa Tran, a 44-year-old Hagerstown nail salon owner, was deported to Vietnam in November 2025 after 20 years in the U.S.
“Melissa Tran arrived in the U.S. at age 11 as a refugee. She was deported to Vietnam in November.”
Family reunion in Vietnam
Melissa reunited with her children Jacob and Riley in Ho Chi Minh City after 255 days of separation.
“On Day 255, they arrived.”
Family split decision
Melissa’s husband Danny and two older children return to Maryland, while her youngest children stay with her in Vietnam.
“The two youngest would stay behind to live with Melissa.”
Melissa’s deportation history
Melissa arrived in the U.S. at age 11 as a refugee after her parents fled Vietnam’s economic collapse in 1993.
“When her parents fled Vietnam’s economic collapse in 1993, they sold everything they owned: their mud hut on a dirt road, their pho restaurant, the small plot of farmland where they grew vegetables to sell at open-air markets.”
Melissa’s criminal past
Melissa pleaded guilty in 2001 to forgery and larceny after stealing $30,000 from a Virginia doctor’s office.
“At 19, she was in an on-again, off-again relationship with a man her attorneys described in court records as 'abusive and manipulative.' In need of money for a new car, he pressured Melissa into stealing almost $30,000 from a Virginia doctor’s office where she worked as a receptionist, her attorneys said.”
Melissa’s life in Maryland
Melissa ran a nail salon in Hagerstown with her husband Danny, raised four children, and supported their education and activities.
“Melissa’s life revolved around her four children. She rose with them in the mornings, packing their lunches and dropping them off at school.”
Deportation process
Melissa was detained by ICE in Baltimore on Mother’s Day 2025 and deported to Vietnam a week before Thanksgiving 2025.
“Last year, the day after Mother’s Day, Melissa showed up in Baltimore for her regular check-in. ICE took her into custody.”
Life in Vietnam
Melissa moved to her childhood hometown of Bien Hoa, Vietnam, where she lived in a concrete house with relatives and struggled to adapt.
“Melissa used her money to travel 1,000 miles south to her childhood hometown of Bien Hoa, where she moved into a concrete house with distant relatives.”
Family separation impact
Melissa video-calls her children daily, tracks their location, and manages their school and homework from Vietnam.
“She video-called to make sure they’d completed their homework. She called again a few hours later, so they heard her voice before bed.”
Children’s adjustment
Jacob and Riley adapted to life in Vietnam by learning new routines, making friends with neighbors, and finding comfort in family rituals.
“They found comfort in the rituals of being a family again.”
Family reunion
Melissa’s husband Danny and two older children returned to Maryland, while her youngest children stayed with her in Vietnam.
“Danny and Melissa hug their oldest children, Jackson and Rachel, as they arrive in Vietnam last month.”
Melissa’s future
Melissa hopes to find legal pathways back to the U.S. but remains scattered across two countries until then.
“For many deportees, the legal paths back to the United States are limited and fraught, requiring years of waiting, extensive paperwork and hope that often leads nowhere. Still, Melissa thinks, maybe sharing her story will move someone who can make a difference.”
Deportation consequences
Melissa’s deportation highlights the impact of Trump-era immigration policies on mixed-status families.
“Melissa is one of thousands of immigrants who formed communities, started businesses, bought homes and raised children in the United States, before President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign forced them to start over in countries they left long ago and now barely recognize.”
Family dynamics
Melissa’s children adjusted to life in Vietnam by learning new routines, making friends with neighbors, and finding comfort in family rituals.
“They found comfort in the rituals of being a family again.”
Melissa’s emotional state
Melissa feels a deep sense of loss and guilt over being separated from her children and the life she built in the U.S.
“It’s not the same,” Melissa says. “I’m used to making them breakfast every morning before they go to school, making sure they have their lunch, their homework. Changing them, dressing them. Giving them a hug, a kiss goodnight every night. I don’t get that anymore.”
Family’s future
Melissa and her children remain separated until legal pathways back to the U.S. are found.
“For many deportees, the legal paths back to the United States are limited and fraught, requiring years of waiting, extensive paperwork and hope that often leads nowhere. Still, Melissa thinks, maybe sharing her story will move someone who can make a difference.”
The key point
Melissa Tran, a U.S.-born Vietnamese refugee, was deported to Vietnam after 20 years in the U.S. and now faces a split family where her two youngest children stay with her while her husband and older children return to Maryland.
