Watson Coleman: “I wish to talk about a young man I read about in the Minneapolis Star Tribune last Friday. It was the story of Tchisou…”

“I wish to talk about a young man I read about in the Minneapolis Star Tribune last Friday. It was the story of Tchisou Tho, an 18-year-old currently facing two situations: in three weeks, high school graduation and, in one day, the threat of deportation. Yesterday, I introduced legislation that would grant citizenship to Tchisou, a senior at Como Park High School in St. Paul, MN who would become the first member of his family to attain a high school diploma. In 1975, Tchisou's parents fled Communist rule in Laos and settled their family in France. At age 5, with his parents having visitors' visas, Tchisou's family came to the United States, first settling in California before eventually moving to Minnesota in 1993, mainly for the quality schools and educational opportunities for their children. As Tchisou's mother commented, 'We consider it a precious thing to wear the gown and receive the diploma with honor and applause.'”