Local organizer Many Uch becomes naturalized US citizen after two decade journey

Many Uch, center, poses with supporters in front of Department of Homeland Security Building in Tukwila. He was sworn in as a naturalized citizen an hour earlier. Photo Credit: Sela Mafi - FIGHT/APICAG

Local organizer Many Uch becomes naturalized US citizen after two decade journey
By Bunthay Cheam

“This is one of the three achievements in my life that I’m proud of… the first was [being part of] indefinite cases [Zadvydas v. Davis], the second one was buying a home and then, this one is one of them,” said Many Uch, organizer and co-founder of Formerly Incarcerated Group Healing Together (F.I.G.H.T.) and the Khmer Anti-deportation Advocacy Group (KhAAG) to applause from over a dozen supporters and organizers after being sworn in as a naturalized citizen in front of the Department of Homeland Security building in Tukwila Washington.

He first walked into their offices in 1997 in the former Immigration and Naturalization Services building in the International District, upon being released from prison. He was detained indefinitely and helped organize towards the 2001 landmark Zadvydas v. Davis, a Supreme Court decision that ruled against indefinite detention of those with order of removal to countries that would not accept them. At the time, Cambodia was not accepting deportees from the US.

Upon his release, he was required to check in with immigration officials periodically, with the threat of removal at any time hanging over his head. This time, he was walking out, for perhaps the final time and this time, with a certificate of citizenship in hand.

In between the day he first entered immigration custody and the day he walked out as a naturalized citizen, over 20 years had elapsed. 

​In all those years, Uch would get married, purchase a home, and start a family. He went on to create relationships with elected officials and legal resources and began the journey of organizing his community. In the late 2000’s, he helped found Khmer In Action (K.I.A.), one of the first organizations to carry Southeast Asian deportation work in the Seattle-Tacoma area.

​In 2010, he was pardoned by Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire. However, because his conviction involved a firearm, the pardon didn’t provide relief from deportation.

Many Uch addresses supporters in front of Department of Homeland Security Building in Tukwila. He was sworn in as a US citizen an hour earlier. Photo Credit: Sela Mafi - FIGHT/APICAG

In 2015, he co-found FIGHT, an organization that works through restorative justice, helping provide resources and help towards re-entry for incarcerated community members. 

In 2017, amidst the ramping up of attacks on refugee and immigrant communities by the Trump administration, Uch helped found KhAAG following a community rally by impacted families in which over a handful of community members were apprehended by ICE.

Amidst all the organizing, Uch had began to explore post-conviction relief for his case. It worked. Based on a constitutional error on his original plea, the prosecuting office agreed to a new sentence for Uch which didn’t carry mandatory deportation. That paved the way for Uch to apply for his citizenship.

After sending his application, checking his application status became a wake up ritual. Then one morning, things changed, I checked my UCIS account and it didn’t say anything,” said Uch. “Three or four hours later, my lawyer emailed me and said that I had gotten approved.”

“Wow, thank you,” is the reply Uch sent to his lawyers upon learning that his application was approved.
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Asked what are some of the things you’d like to do, Uch replied, “I look forward to meeting my Dad for the first time in Cambodia.”