This story was updated from its original version. The Quachs lived the American dream until it became a nightmare. After the fall of Saigon, Danny and Mary Quach’s families separately immigrated to the United States and the two eventually met in Houston. At Happy Sparrow, first located in Portland and then Lake Oswego, they started one of the first restaurants offering kolaches in the Pacific Northwest. With Danny’s dad facing brain and lung cancer, the Quachs, including their two kids, moved back to Houston less than a year ago to care for him. They now find themselves in a predicament they had long feared, but never quite imagined possible. During an appointment with Immigration & Customs Enforcement, Danny — who had his green card revoked and was at risk of deportation to Vietnam for decades due to an aggravated assault charge he said he was coerced into pleading guilty to in 1994 — was apprehended and has been placed in the Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe, Texas for nearly two months. He’s spent more than 50 years in the United States but is at risk of deportation. “Danny is not what they are describing on the news. We have heard so many stories through Danny and his experiences in the detention center that are heartbreaking. It makes me so sad,” Mary said. “Yes, we are going through it; it sucks. We wish it wasn’t the case. I’m hearing other stories and I feel fortunate because we have friends and family that know us can support us. There are so many others in there who don’t have a voice, or any opportunity to be heard; that’s so sad to me.” ‘Nothing to hide’ After building a life in Texas, and with the inability to leave the United States due to Danny’s predicament, the Quachs wanted a new adventure within American confines. Danny and Mary moved to Oregon in 2008, at the onset of the Great Recession, and realized they needed to start their own venture to achieve economic success here. After noticing that kolaches were virtually nonexistent in Oregon, they started Happy Sparrow. They operated the shop for eight years in Portland and then seven years on Jean Road in Lake Oswego before selling the business to move back to Houston. Mary said she became a citizen as a child due to her family’s choices, but Danny’s family never got around to that until it was too late. Danny spent six years in prison for an incident in which gunshots were fired (no one was hurt) in a park. Mary insists her husband was innocent and was at the park where it occurred just to play basketball, but was targeted and pressured to plead guilty by a district attorney; he didn’t realize at the time the conviction would impact his ability to remain in the United States. Danny was placed on a list but never deported because Vietnam wasn’t accepting deportees — that is, until it reached a deal with the Trump Administration earlier this year. And due to the conviction, Danny’s citizenship application (with Mary as his sponsor) was rejected. Danny had been checking in with ICE every six months, Mary said, but the last time he did so he was detained. “Some people don’t bother to check in and are off the radar. Danny said, ‘I have nothing to hide. I’m leading a lifestyle I’m proud of,’” Mary said. “Danny didn’t want to be in a situation where he had to run and hide.” An uncertain future Mary said Danny tries to paint a pleasant picture of the detention center to keep his family at ease, but the conditions are not great — he only has one hour of visitation per week, eats mostly watered down beans and has requested but not received a blanket. “They are treated like prisoners. It’s pretty sad,” Mary said. And Mary said Danny has met good people, many who were also detained during a probation officer appointment. “Apparently they are taking everyone. The easiest ones to take are the ones coming in check in,” Mary said. Meanwhile, the rest of the Quach family is grappling with extreme uncertainty. Mary said they could try to get Danny’s gunshot case reopened to get him exonerated, but that would likely mean he’d be detained for years as the legal proceedings commence. Or they could pack their bags and return to Vietnam. Mary worried about receiving vitriol from people in Vietnam who described those who fled after the war as “traitors,” but her concerns on that front have been assuaged. However, relocation, let alone hiring lawyers for a legal challenge, would be very expensive. For now they are trying to stay positive, control what they can control and maintain faith. “We try our best to be positive about the circumstances regardless and have trust in God. We know he has got us no matter what the circumstances and we trust he has a good plan,” Mary said. “Faith is trusting something you don’t see.” Al Nodarse, Danny’s Oregonian friend, set up a GoFundMe for the family that has raised more than $13,000 so far. He is also holding an event to bring awareness to the Quach family’s predicament at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 22 at Foothills Park in Lake Oswego. The event will include a reflection period, the chance to sign letters of support and a call for compassion in U.S. immigration enforcement. “I’m trying to raise awareness and tell Danny’s story. I talked to Rebecca, the new owner of the Happy Sparrow … They are going to bring kolaches. It’s shocking to people,” Nodarse said. “It brought me to tears. It is so sad at how they are being treated.” To help out the Quachs visit the GoFundMe, https://www.gofundme.com/f/avtmk8-freedom-for-danny. However, Mary said a prayer would mean more than money.