Some well-known names in Houston’s dining scene are coming together to rally support for Danny Quach, a Vietnamese American father of two, husband, and son who has lived in the U.S. for 50 years and is now being detained in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility. The collaboration will generate funds for Quach’s legal defense fund and, in the worst-case scenario, prepare him and his family for a life outside of America.
The event, called “Friendsgiving for Freedom” and taking place Nov. 22 at Tikila’s in the Houston Heights, is being orchestrated by well-connected friends and associates hoping to ensure a safe resolution to a scary period in Quach’s life.
Christina Truong, a friend of Quach and his wife, told Chron her friend was detained by ICE while checking in with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, as he’s been ordered to do twice a year since he was released from a past criminal conviction. Truong said Quach’s prior criminal history stemmed from a “dubious” gun charge and conviction when he was 19. “Since that time, he’s maintained a pretty normal life,” Truong said. “He hasn’t been in trouble. He’s raised a family.”
But over the past few months Quach had been nervous about checking in with his probation officer, Truong said. Quach, who was living in Portland for a time but moved back to Houston recently to take care of his father diagnosed with stage-4 brain and lung cancer, worried that he would be detained and have his green card revoked—a worry that eventually became true…