A longtime Portland food cart beloved by Portland State University students is shutting down after its operator was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Khao Niew, the sticky rice and Lao street food staple at the campus pod next to the library, will stop operating, according to a social-media announcement naming owner Nong Phimmoungkhoun. Students and staff who counted on the cart for affordable lunches and a familiar face on the block felt the loss almost immediately.
In an Instagram post, the cart's team said Phimmoungkhoun had been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and announced the cart's closure. "This place was more than just a business to him, it was his home, his passion, and a piece of his soul," the post read, as reported by KOIN. The post added that vendors would not be able to keep the stand open while he is in custody.
Pod's infrastructure and campus impact
The cart sits in the pod beside PSU's Millar Library, a high-traffic lunchtime hub where food options do a lot of heavy lifting between classes. That pod has faced infrastructure and regulatory pressure in recent years, including concerns over graywater disposal that once threatened the library carts' future, according to Willamette Week. PSU's facilities office maintains a list of campus food-cart locations on the Portland State University site.
A city presence beyond the cart
Khao Niew also operates a brick-and-mortar restaurant in the Cully neighborhood, giving the business a presence beyond campus traffic. Local listings place the restaurant on NE Cully Boulevard, per Apple Maps.
Campus community reacts
Students and faculty responded with shock and sadness once the closure was announced. PSU's School of Art, Art History and Design account wrote that "his friendship and amazing food will be sorely missed on campus," according to KOIN.
The cart's message asked the community to support the owner's family while they navigate his absence and the sudden shutdown of a small vendor woven into daily campus life. As students and staff revise their lunch routines, Khao Niew's closure highlights how immigration enforcement can ripple through neighborhoods and the small businesses that help define them.
