Cambodian refugee detained by ICE in Virginia

FAIRFAX, Va. - A northern Virginia woman says her husband has been detained by ICE — and fears he may soon be deported, despite living in the U.S. legally for the past 30 years.

What we know:

Sann Thach was last seen by his family during what they say was a routine check-in with ICE — more than a month ago.
The 43-year-old married father of two daughters came to the U.S. as an 8-year-old Cambodian refugee.

His wife says he has a green card, a work permit, and a Virginia driver’s license. He drives a cement mixer for a living.

The issue at hand is a a conviction from when he was 18 years old, for the illegal possession of a firearm.

"There should be some type of statute of limitations here, but I guess there isn’t — and I am not the only situation that’s happening like this. There are other people — in fact, there are other Cambodian people going through the exact same thing," said wife Sonya Tan. "Nobody knows too much really about immigration law to fully understand it, but if I can tell my story, I can help others through this for sure."

What's next:

Tan says they’ve hired an immigration attorney, gotten their member of Congress involved, and filed what’s called an expedited request for a stay of removal.

FOX 5 DC has reached out to ICE for comment and are waiting to hear back.