A judge on Tuesday vacated a decades-old conviction that was the basis for a San Diego man’s detention and looming deportation back to Vietnam, a country he has not returned to since he fled to the U.S. more than 40 years ago.

Chuong Dong’s friends and family – including his wife and children, who are all American citizens – filled the courtroom for the hearing, nearly two weeks after he was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the annual check-in he’s been doing with the agency for more than 25 years. He’s been held at the Otay Mesa Detention Center ever since.

“When he was taken, I was honestly just heartbroken,” his daughter’s friend Alana Nguyen said. “His case deserves so much attention because he's brought so much love and everything to the community that's gone ver

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