OPINION & EDITORIAL
Hmong deserve political asylum
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Also by Jeff Carnes:
- Gay frat diversifies Greeks (May 4, 2007)
- Problems in city's environment vast (April 26, 2007)
- State budget must keep UW in mind (April 19, 2007)
- Students should take responsiblity for credit card debts (April 12, 2007)
- State must confront brain drain issue (March 29, 2007)
Related Stories:
- Hmong general a hero for his people (May 3, 2002)
- Misunderstood? (February 27, 2007)
- Non-Engish voices need representation (October 26, 2006)
- Kaplan's remarks not racist (February 26, 2007)
- Kaplan's remarks need clarification (March 5, 2007)
by Jeff Carnes
Thursday, March 1, 2007
For many Hmong, both in the United States and in refugee camps halfway across the world, the future is in question. Hmong refugees in Thailand, who have been living in camps since before most of us were born, currently are not allowed in the United States, and those who are here trying to establish permanent residency are having difficulty doing so because of the Patriot and Real ID Acts.
Why are the Hmong having so many problems with political asylum? The Hmong took part in and supported terrorism in Laos, and terrorists and those who assist in conducting terrorism are not welcome in the United States — even if the Americans recruited the Hmong to fight against the Laotian government.
When the CIA began recruiting the Hmong in 1961, they were some of the few friends we had in Southeast Asia, let alone people who would fight to stop the spread of communism. The Hmong, a minority in the mountainous areas of Laos and Southeast Asia, were our ground forces against the communist Laotian government. The Hmong fought our proxy war against Laos as Americans fought in Vietnam.
When the CIA stopped supporting Hmong fighters in 1975, they only evacuated the top Hmong officials. Most Hmong were deserted. As a result, Hmong people living in Laos were persecuted and had to hide out in the mountains of southern Laos or flee across the Mekong River to Thailand to live in refugee camps. In essence, Hmong were used by the American government and then left to fend for themselves.
Despite the fact that our government deserted these people, they have been allowed to flee to the United States as asylum seekers in various waves since 1975, the most recent being in summer 2004. Congress even eased some of the restrictions on former Hmong fighters with the Hmong Veterans' Naturalization Act of 2000. Almost 170,000 Hmong have immigrated to the United States, according to the U.S. Census and more than 33,000 live in Wisconsin. Now, however, the status of many in the United States and those still left in Thailand and Laos are in question. While the Hmong look at themselves as freedom fighters for an American cause, post-9/11 legislation will not allow those who commit or support terrorism into the United States, even if they only cooked and housed their families who fought for the Americans.
The Hmong population in the United States is less than 1 percent. Many Americans would ask, well, who cares? Most of them are here, why bother with legislation to amend the Patriot Act? We have too many other problems in our country, such as Iraq, to keep us busy.
The United States does owe it to the Hmong people after using them and then leaving them to fight for themselves. We can say the same for other ethnic groups around the world that have been a pawn of American foreign policy: the Kurds in Northern Iraq, dissidents in Iran, the mujahadeen in the Soviet-Afghan War, the Albanians in Kosovo and those who currently are fighting to expel an Islamic government in Somalia, to name a few. None of these groups are totally innocent, but neither is the American government. While we should not let individuals who have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity into the United States, we owe it these groups to help them escape from governments that will persecute them because they helped the Americans.
There needs to be a balance between those who should not be let into our country because they are a danger to the American people and those who worked on behalf of the Americans. With current federal law, Jalal Talabani and Hamid Karzai, the presidents of Iraq and Afghanistan respectively, would not be allowed as refugees into the United States. If the Patriot Act disqualifies them as well as nullifies previous legislation for the Hmong, who is going to be willing to be an ally in the global war on terror? Who will be our friend if our previous friends were used and left out in the desert or jungle?
Currently, the Bush administration is looking at implementing waivers for groups such as Burmese refugees who have fought against the military government in Myanmar. The administration also needs to implement waivers for other groups such as the Hmong, who have fought on behalf of the United States. We must also strike a balance between terrorists who want to harm Americans and those who fought for us. We have few friends left in the world and not allowing those who have helped us in the past will discourage anyone from helping us in the present and future.
Jeff Carnes (jmcarnes@wisc.edu) is a senior majoring in linguistics.
Anonymous (March 1, 2007 @ 1:29pm):
great article
Anonymous (March 1, 2007 @ 3:35pm):
Agree 100% that we should extend a hand to those individuals who fought alongside us during the war in Laos. Just wanted to point out that "the Hmong" are not one single cohesive group. While many fought, with U.S. support, for the then-Royal Lao Government and against the North Vietnamese & Pathet Lao communists, many also joined the Pathet Lao. Still others sat on the sidelines and grew opium.
Anonymous (March 2, 2007 @ 3:32am):
Dear Mr. Carnes:
I applaud your article in support of the Lao-Hmong people who need and seek political asylum in the US or elsewhere. However, may I point out that since the recognition of the independence of the Lane Xang Kingdom of Laos by the French on July 19, 1949 through December 1975 the Lao-Hmong and other ethnic Lao were fighting to safeguard the independence, freedom, and territorial integrity of Laos under the leadership of the legitimate government of Laos. They were not fighting against the government of Laos. They were fighting against the North Vietnamese communists and their underlings, the Pathet Lao. If the definition of terrorism is "anyone or any group of persons committing acts of violence to overthrow a government" then the group of people who are currently in power in Laos is the real terrorist for this group was fighting to overthrow the legitimate government of Laos for more than 20 years before the government of Laos was overthrown in December 1975.
Anonymous (March 2, 2007 @ 7:56am):
I am sitting here at my computer writing while my young boy sleeps on the floor at my feet. Less than fifty miles from here there is a large dry season offensive going on to kill the remaining Hmong still living in the Xaysambon special zone. Most of the Hmong who ever fought in the war a long time ago are long gone, left are younger men, women, children, babies. All are being killed regardless. I feel helpless to do anything for my fellow human beings. Lots of troop movement, helicopters, soldiers. Today heavy rains briefly in the evening. I hope the dry season ends while there are still some people left. My country is silent, the price we pay for another ally in our war against terror. War against terror. I wonder.
South of Vang Vien 9pm March 2 2007
Anonymous (March 2, 2007 @ 9:54am):
As what it has bene said, you are not appreciated and understanding the women unless you are the women yourselves, it is also true that you most of the American soldiers who went to Vietnam war would appreciate and understand the Hmong because they fought for the same war without the Hmong in the North, their deaths and casualities still would be more then 58,266 in South Vietnam. You are not a soldier and yo don't know how suffering and terrifying it is when you were in the war. I feel so bad about our soldiers that were killed and woundeed in Iraq daily. If you are not appreciated what the Hmong had helped your men in Vietnam War, then I ask you to call and talk to white families whose sons or daughters that now are in Iraq or have been killed in Iraq so you would understand how hard they have been thru. Or be a soldier yourself to serve for your country. In this way you will truly apppreciate those who have protected your life, driving a nice car, living a nice house and working in a good place and don't have to be terrifying by death and casualty. I was a soldier myself to protect America.
Anonymous (March 2, 2007 @ 9:56am):
Please make a grammar correction and sentence to my statement before posting.
Thanks
Anonymous (March 2, 2007 @ 1:29pm):
Too young to carry a gun
I am reading these different comments about us fighting a war that we could not understand. I was too young to handle a gun so was not recruited, but I lost many uncles and some mia relatives that still cannot be accounted for. The issue here is about a piece of legislation that would prevent those of us that were left behind to join our freedom in this country. As a Hmong American, I do appreciate the many sympathy expressed here. At the same time, I am frustrated and confused why some law professor still make comments that Hmong men are only good at killing, and second generation Hmong men are nothing else but gang banger. It sounds like being Hmong and having been associated with the Americans was nothing but getting caught between a rock and a hard place.
Anonymous (March 3, 2007 @ 6:57pm):
What a better article than all the others I have seen recently! (The other articles cover things up.)
Why doesn't this young man organize a conference with Prof. McCoy in the History Department?
A history professor might have a less adversarial attitude, and might seem much more interested in real education, as opposed to those at the law school speaking of lawyering themselves up at the law school.
Anonymous (March 7, 2007 @ 11:28am):
The fact was there. The war we had fought and we had fallen. The logic, reasons, and the call to war were with the presidents, generals, and cia's to their graves aleady. To have a discussion of the issue with observers on the side line or the academia would prove nothing, but speculation and division among those of us who are lucky enough to survive. Let us not bring back the old wound that many of us are still licking.
Anonymous (April 9, 2007 @ 11:06am):
Jeff Carnes
please justify why Hmongs are terrorist?
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