Ma Yang, who has lived in the Milwaukee area since she was a baby, believes she is one of the first Hmong Americans deported to Laos in recent years.

She was born in Thailand, the daughter of Hmong refugees after the Vietnam War, and she was a legal permanent U.S. resident until she pleaded guilty to taking part in a marijuana trafficking operation.

SOUTH MILWAUKEE, Wis. — A South Milwaukee woman and her family are looking for answers after she was deported to Laos earlier this month. Ma Yang told TMJ4 News that she was born in a refugee camp in Thailand. Before she turned one, Yang's parents, Hmong refugees, fled to the United States with her.