ICE Arrests Vietnamese Man Convicted of Attempted Murder of Police Officer After 15 Years Free

United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested a Vietnamese national convicted of attempted murder of a police officer. The man had remained free in the country for more than 15 years because Vietnam refused to accept him back.

Dinh Quy Nguyen, convicted of attempted capital murder of a police officer and burglary on June 28, 1989, was taken into custody in Houston, Texas, on May 5, 2026. An immigration judge issued a final order of removal against him on Dec. 30, 1997, affirmed by the Board of Immigration Appeals on May 26, 1998. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice transferred Nguyen to ICE custody on March 17, 2011, but ICE released him on June 22, 2011, after Vietnam declined repatriation.

Nguyen had entered the United States on Dec. 15, 1977, in Honolulu, Hawaii. A prior U.S.-Vietnam agreement barred repatriation of Vietnamese citizens who arrived before July 12, 1995, shielding him from deportation despite his record.

Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement, "As we observe Police Week, the men and women of ICE law enforcement are removing this illegal alien convicted of attempted murder of a police officer from our communities, so he cannot victimize anymore Americans."

Bis added, "This criminal illegal alien from Vietnam was also previously convicted for burglary. Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, we will always stand by our brave ICE law enforcement who put their lives on the line to arrest heinous criminals from American neighborhoods."

Department of Homeland Security officials described the arrest as a shift in enforcement under President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. They said recent policy changes target previously protected foreign nationals with criminal convictions.

Nguyen is held at the Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe, Texas, pending removal to Vietnam. The Department of Homeland Security called the effort part of an initiative to prevent heinous criminals from victimizing Americans due to diplomatic issues.