Clinton Signs Bill Helping Hmong Become Citizens

President Clinton has signed into law a measure easing U.S. citizenship requirements for Hmong immigrants who fought in the CIA’s secret war in Laos during the Vietnam War era.

The legislation waives the English language requirement for as many as 45,000 Hmong veterans and their spouses or widows, and allows them to take the citizenship test with the aid of an interpreter.

More than 200,000 Hmong live in the United States, with large numbers in California’s Central Valley, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

“The legislation is long overdue,” said Philip Smith, Washington director of the Fresno-based Lao Veterans of America Inc. Smith said the bill’s signing ends a decade-long struggle by the Hmong (pronounced “mong”).

Clinton signed the bill late Friday, just before the Memorial Day weekend, calling it a “tribute to the service, courage and sacrifice of the Hmong people who were our allies in Laos during the Vietnam War.”

Until recently, Clinton noted, the Hmong people had no written language. Thus, learning English has been difficult for some of those who came to the United States.

“This law is a small step but an important one in honoring the immense sacrifices that the Hmong people made in supporting our efforts in Southeast Asia,” Clinton said.

To be eligible, Hmong veterans must have served with a special guerrilla unit or irregular forces operating from Laos in support of the U.S. military any time between Feb. 28, 1961, and Sept. 18, 1978. Applicants have 18 months to file for citizenship.