JoJo Tran fled Vietnam in 1996 for fear of politically-motivated persecution by the government. He has been trying to gain asylum here in the United States since then. His wife and son are still in Vietnam. His asylum claim has been denied and he's at risk of being deported soon.

See JoJo's complete statement to the court for full details of why JoJo left Vietnam . In short, JoJo unknowingly worked for a travel agency in Vietnam that gave tours to CIA and US ex-military. When he realized what was happening, he did not know what to do. After being detained multiple times and in constant fear of persecution, JoJo fled to the US.


JoJo came to America in 1996 and filed for asylum in 1997. Even after hiring an attorney, Robert Pauw, after he moved to Seattle, JoJo's asylum claim remained pending from 1997 until JoJo's detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2004 (follow link for details). In spite of testimony verifying the danger JoJo was in from one of the Vietnam Veterans from JoJo's last tour group, his case was denied. His attorney at the time, Robert Pauw, appealed it up to the 9th Circuit Court, where it was rejected on February 8, 2008, less than 3 weeks after Vietnam signed an agreement with the United States to take deportees back. Robert Pauw felt he could take the case no further.

JoJo's new lawyer, Huyen-Lam Q. Nguyen-Bull (Garvey Schubert Barer), has filed a petition for JoJo's case to be reheard.

JoJo has lived in Seattle for the past 10 years. Currently, JoJo works with the homeless for SHARE - Seattle Housing and Resource Effort. JoJo has also volunteered for a number of organizations in Seattle; including the American Red Cross (as a volunteer interpreter for their Language Bank), Amnesty International Group 4, Real Change (where he's currently on their Board of Directors), and ROOTS - Rising Out of the Shadows (a program for homeless teens), P-Patch,Giving Garden, Seattle Tilth, Metro King County, City of Seattle (Department of Neighborhoods), Immigration and Naturalization Service (I.N.S.), Refugee Assistance Program (R..A.P.), Catholic Community Services (C.C.S.), Japanese Presbyterian Church (J.P.C.), World Affairs Council - Young Professional's Network (Y.P.I.N.), the U.N. Association - Seattle Chapter, Intercommunity Peace & Justice, Providence Mount St. Vincent, Pax Christi, Cabrini Pastoral Care Ministry, the American Friends Service Committee, Physicians for Social Responsibility, the American Jewish Committee, Adopt a Street (Seattle), Adopt a Stop (King Co.), Northwest Folklife, Ethnic Heritage Council, Ombudsman King County-Seattle, and Physicians for Human Rights.

JoJo grows fresh vegetables and fruit at the Cascade P Patch, and is an active member of the St. James Cathedral Parrish.