On April 10, Hari Kondabolu '04 will return to Bowdoin, but this night will not be about his comedy. Instead, Kondabolu and Cambodian immigrant Many Uch will be screening the documentary "Sentenced Home," which focuses on Uch's struggles with indefinite detention and his looming deportation without due process.
Uch, one of three subjects of the documentary, came to the United States in 1984 at the age of eight. He was jailed for committing robbery in 1994 and served his time, but because of new immigration laws that deported Cambodians who were not citizens when convicted of crimes, the government informed Uch he would be sent back to Cambodia even though he already served his sentence.
"It's double jeopardy," Kondabolu, who works for immigrant advocacy group Hate Free Zone in Seattle, said. "It goes against the fundamental process."
Uch said that he has "been in limbo" since he was released from state prison in 1997. He was stuck in indefinite detention because, with the 1996 immigration laws, "if they can't send you back to your country, they have the right to hold you forever."
Since being released from prison, Uch has made a new life for himself in Seattle. He now has a nine-month-old daughter and coaches a minority Little League team. Baseball gives the youths an alternative to street gangs?an alternative that Uch did not have as a child.
Kondabolu said that the 1996 laws kept immigration cases from being reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and a loophole in the law allows for mid-level court clerks to hear cases rather than judges, denying defendants due process. Also, crimes that were not considered felonies in criminal court became aggravated felonies in immigration court.
"Lawyers who don't understand immigration court tell their clients to plead and don't realize it affects their immigration status," Kondabolu said. "The issue is more about fairness and equality and not having two sets of lawyers so people have an opportunity to stay."
Uch does not know his current placement on the list of people to be deported back to Cambodia. He could be deported any day. Since 2002, 163 Cambodians have been sent back, in addition to 2,000 waiting to be deported. There are also 4,000 Vietnamese and 2,000 Laotians waiting to be deported.
There have been 50 screenings of "Sentenced Home" since March 2006. Uch hopes that the film will shed light on the immigration debate for audiences that are unfamiliar with the effects of the 1996 laws.
"We really go and explain what's going on," Uch said. "The 1996 immigration laws stripped the right to rule on individual cases. Our job is to really move people and get them involved to bring back due process."
At Hate Free Zone, Kondabolu said he sees the effects of indefinite detention and deportation without due process on families. Detention centers have become overcrowded and many immigrants with civil violations are mixed in with criminal prisoners.
"People are moved around like products, and their families can't afford to see them," Kondabolu said.
Kondabolu has great respect for Uch because of what he has endured throughout this process and his perspective.
"His experience with the criminal justice system and the immigration system forced him to educate himself," Kondabolu said. "He has an amazing sense of humor and keeping things in perspective."
Kondabolu's parents came to the United States from India in the 1970s. Because of his role at Hate Free Zone, his work with Uch, and his own parents' situation, Kondabolu said that he "think[s] about the issues more so than ever before."
"We had legal status," Kondabolu said. "What if we didn't?"
"Sentenced Home" will be screened in Druckenmiller 16 on Tuesday at 7 p.m. A question and answer session with Uch and Kondabolu will follow the film.