[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 116 (Tuesday, September 26, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1594]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     HMONG VETERANS' NATURALIZATION ACT AMENDMENTS OF 2000--EXTEND 
      NATURALIZATION TO FORMER SPOUSES OF DECEASED HMONG VETERANS

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                               speech of

                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 25, 2000

  Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this legislation 
to exempt the widows of the Hmong veterans from certain citizenship 
requirements.
  The Hmong are a mountain people mainly found in southern China and 
northern areas of Burma, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. Beginning in the 
1950s, Hmong soldiers fought the communist Pathet Lao movement in Laos 
and later assisted U.S. forces during the Vietnam War. The Hmong aided 
U.S. forces, collected intelligence, rescued downed American pilots, 
protected sensitive U.S. military installations monitoring the Ho Chi 
Minh Trail and tied down an estimated 50,000 North Vietnamese troops in 
Laos. When the war ended, the Pathet Lao took power in Laos and 
persecuted and imprisoned many of the Hmong allies of the United 
States.
  The Hmong come from a tribal society that, until recently, had no 
written language and many have found it difficult to naturalize because 
of their difficulty in learning English. This legislation would exempt 
them from this difficult requirement. Currently this same exemption has 
been given to those men and their spouses who served with a special 
unit, operating from a base in Laos in support of the U.S. military. It 
is time to extend this same exemption to the widows of these men.
  This is a great step for the widows who were not covered under the 
Hmong Veterans' Naturalization Act. The Hmong have faced insurmountable 
odds with the English language portion of the citizenship exam. This 
bill provides a needed form of relief in the citizenship process by 
exempting the widows from that portion of the exam.
  Mr. Speaker, these women are the same spouses of men who sacrificed 
everything to help us. Many of their husbands gave their lives to save 
U.S. pilots and other Americans. They fought side-by-side with the U.S. 
forces and then lost everything. This legislation represents what the 
Congress can do to provide for the widows of these brave men.

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