Calling on Immigration and Customs Enforcement to immediately release Sereyrath "One" Van from Moshannon Valley Processing Center and calling on Philadelphia's Members of the United States Congress to champion welcoming immigration policies in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and to recognize Philadelphia as a City of second chances, especially for formerly incarcerated non-citizens.

Calling on Immigration and Customs Enforcement to immediately release Sereyrath “One” Van from Moshannon Valley Processing Center and calling on Philadelphia’s Members of the United States Congress to champion welcoming immigration policies in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and to recognize Philadelphia as a City of second chances, especially for formerly incarcerated non-citizens. WHEREAS, Sereyrath “One” Van was born in the Khao-I-Dang refugee camp in Thailand, as the child of survivors of the genocide in Cambodia led by the Khmer Rouge, who rose to power as a result of the U.S. military’s destabilization of Cambodia during the Vietnam War; and WHEREAS, Van and his family resettled as refugees with legal permanent residence in Southwest Philadelphia in 1984, when he was just four years old, where he has since become a beloved figure in his community, known by all as “One”; and WHEREAS, Like far too many of Philadelphia’s youth in under-resourced neighborhoods, Van was ensnared by the school-to-prison pipeline as a teenager. However, he worked tirelessly to transform his life, earning his GED, attending both community college and trade school, and ultimately securing steady employment as a mechanic; and WHEREAS, Despite his efforts, Van faced persistent barriers to achieving long-term stability, leading to his re-incarceration in 2018 due to a drug conviction. Throughout this time, Van took full responsibility for his past, while using his time in prison to engage in deep …