Inthavong Vilayphone/Laos/Vehicle Theft

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Inthavong Vilayphone in Atlanta, Georgia. The Laos national — here illegally — faces charges of vehicle theft.

Property crime charges involving illegal aliens initiate two separate legal processes that move on independent timelines. State prosecutors handle the criminal charge — burglary and theft carry significant penalties under state law — while federal immigration authorities pursue removal in a concurrent proceeding. Vilayphone now faces a state criminal case alongside a federal immigration removal proceeding, with the outcome of each determined independently. A conviction on the criminal charge would also likely factor into the immigration court’s assessment of whether removal should be ordered.

Federal authorities have placed Vilayphone in immigration detention pending the outcome of removal proceedings. A Department of Justice immigration court will determine whether Vilayphone is deported to Laos.