[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 94 (Tuesday, June 3, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E511-E512]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE HMONG EXODUS

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 3, 2025

  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 50th anniversary of 
the Hmong Exodus, the mass displacement and migration of Hmong people 
from Laos to the United States beginning in 1975.
  The Hmong people originated in North Central Asia before migrating to 
Southeast Asia to settle in Laos. Despite achieving independence from 
French colonial rule in 1954, their relations to foreign powers 
remained complex, particularly during the Vietnam War. From 1961 and 
1975, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), employed a secret army of 
Hmong soldiers led by General Vang Pao to assist U.S. war efforts 
during the Vietnam War era. Known as the Special Guerrilla Unit (SGU), 
they fought in the ``Secret War,'' often against insurmountable odds, 
to stop the spread of

[[Page E512]]

communism inside and beyond Laos. In one of the most devastating and 
traumatic wars in our nation's history, the Hmong people bravely fought 
side by side with U.S. troops resulting in 35,000 SGU casualties.
  Following the Paris Peace Accords, all U.S. military personnel exited 
Southeast Asia in 1973, but General Vang Pao and the SGU remained. Laos 
was then split into three factions, but after the city of Long Cheng 
fell in 1975, the communist-backed Pathet Lao seized power and 
retaliated against the CIA-sponsored soldiers and their families. This 
forced an estimated 20,000 Hmong to flee to Thailand to avoid 
persecution before relocating to the United States. This marked the 
first wave of the Hmong Exodus, in which over 100,000 Hmong emigrated 
to the U.S. between 1975 and 1997. They settled primarily in 
California, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
  Today, the Hmong population in the United States is approximately 
345,000. The City of Fresno has the second-largest Hmong population in 
the country, behind only Minneapolis, with roughly 35,000 people living 
in the region. To recognize their cultural, social, political, and 
economic contributions to the city, Mayor Jerry Dyer proclaimed May 
14th as Hmong American Day in Fresno. This day commemorates the 
anniversary of the final airlift that brought Hmong veterans and their 
families to the U.S. It also serves a reminder to celebrate generations 
of Hmong Americans and their contributions in business, education, 
government, healthcare, and public safety. Fresno also has the 
distinction of hosting the largest Hmong New Year celebration in the 
country, attracting over 100,000 visitors each year.
  In the 115th Congress, I introduced the Hmong Veterans' Service 
Recognition Act to secure burial rights in national cemeteries for SGU 
veterans. It was signed into law as part of the Consolidated 
Appropriations Act of 2018 and serves as a symbol of grateful Nation 
for the service and loyalty of the SGU soldiers and their families.
  Mr. Speaker, I invite my esteemed colleagues to join me in 
commemorating the resilience and enduring spirit of the Hmong people 
and their contributions to the United States over the last five 
decades. May their story be our story.

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