wisconsinvote.org. >>
A
POLICY
SHIFT
IN
WASHINGTON
LEAVES
THOUSANDS
OF
HMONG
RESIDENTS
WORRIED THEY
COULD
BE
SENT BACK
T
O
LAOS.
IN
TONIGHT'S INSIDE
LOOK,
WISCONSIN IS
HOME
TO
NEARLY
50,000
PEOPLE
WHO
CAME
AS
REFUGEES AFTER
FIGHTING
FOR
THE
U.S. IN
THE
VIETNAM
WAR
.
BECAUSE
OF A
LONG
RECORD
OF
HUMAN
RIGHTS
VIOLATIONS
AGAINST
HMONG PEOPLE
BY THE
COMMUNIST
COUNTRY.
VUE
IS
EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR AND
JOINS
US
FROM
MENASHA.
THANKS
VERY
MUCH
FOR
BEING
HERE. >>
THANK
YOU. >> WHAT
IS
THE
REACTION
AMONG
HMONG
PEOPLE HERE
IN
WISCONSIN
TO
THIS
D
EVELOPMENT THAT YOU
HAVE
HEARD?
>>
WELL,
IT'S A
MIXED
MESSAGE.
SOME
ARE
VERY
CONFUSED
WHY
IT'S
HAPPENING NOW.
SOME
SAY,
WELL, IT
STARTED A
LONG
TIME
AGO.
BUT I
GUESS
THE
BIGGEST
ISSUE,
EVEN
THOUGH
THE
IMMIGRATION LAW
PASSED
DURING
THE
ADMINISTRATION
IN
1996,
WELL,
THERE'S
NO
FORMAL
AGREEMENT
WITH
L
AOTIANS
TO
SEND
HMONG
OR
WHOEVER, CONVICTION
OF A
CRIERNLINGS BACK
CRIME, BACK TO
LAOS.
IT'S
ALMOST
24
YEARS
NOW
AND
THIS
ISSUE
RESURFACE
AGAIN. >>
HOW
MANY
PEOPLE
COULD
IT
AFFECT IN
WISCONSIN,
TO
YOUR
UNDERSTANDING? >>
TO
MY
ANYTHING,
WE
HAD
ABOUT
300 INDIVIDUALS IN
THE STATE OF WISCONSIN.
IN
THIS
DISTRICT
WE
COMBINE
HERE
WITH
CHICAGO AS
WELL,
TOO,
SO
PRETTY
CLOSE
TO
300
INDIVIDUALS. >>
NOW,
I
UNDERSTAND
AGAIN
THAT
THIS
WOULD
AFFECT
PEOPLE WHO
ARE
NOT
U.S.
CITIZENS,
BUT
LEGAL
RESIDENTS
NOW UNDER
DEPORTATION
ORDER.
HOW
DO
PEOPLE
GET
DEPORTATION
ORDERS
AGAINST
THEM
?
%
>>
THEY
SERVED
THEIR
TIME
% ALREADY AND HAVE
TIME
IN
THIS
% COUNTRY
NOW.
% >>
SO
THE
DEPORTATION
ORDER
% WOULD
COME, FOR
EXAMPLE,
BECAUSE% SOMEONE
WAS
CONVICTED
OF A
% CRIME.% >> THAT'S
CORRECT
.
% >>
WHAT
WOULD
HAPPEN
TO A
HMONG
% PERSON
DEPORTED BACK
TO
LAOS?
% >>
WELL,
THE
HMONG,
24
YEARS
% NOW,
THE
HMONG
BEING
IN
THIS
% COUNTRY 45 YEARS
NOW,
THE
HMONG
% IN
GENERAL
%
FLEE LAOS BECAUSE
OF
% BEING FRIENDS WITH
THE UNITED% STATES.
% GOING
BACK
IS
NOT AN
OPTION.
% LAOS
DOES
NOT
LEGALLY
RECOGNIZE
% HMONG
AS
CITIZENS
OF
LAY
LAOS.
% HMONGING
IS AN
ETHNIC
GROUP
IN
% LAOS.
% SO
NOT A
CITIZEN
OF
LAOS.
% THEY
WILL
NOT
TAKE A
NONLAOTIAN
% BACK, AS WELL
AS
THIS
INDIVIDUAL
% ESCAPE LAOS.
% WHY WOULD
THEY
WANT
THOSE
% INDIVIDUAL BACK?
% THEY ER
THE
ARE
THE
ONE
THAT
WANT TO
% GET
RID OF
THE
INDIVIDUAL IN THE% FIRST PLACE.%
>> WOULD IT
B
E
DANGEROUS IN
YOUR
% MIND
FOR A
HMONG PERSON TO
% RETURN TO
LAOS?
% >> IT
WOULD
BE
DANGEROUS,
THOSE
% INDIVIDUALS ON
THE
LIST.
% THEY
COMMIT
THIS
CRIME
WHEN THEY
% WERE
YOUNG.
% THEY
HAVE
NEVER
BEEN BACK
TO
% LAOS.
% THEY CANNOT
SPEAK
THE
LAOTIAN
% LANGUAGE.%THEY HAVE
NO
FAMILIES OVER
% THERE.
% SO IT
WOULD
BE
VERY
HARD
FOR
% THEM TO
GO BACK
TO A
SOCIETY
% THAT THEY ARE
NOT
WELCOME,
% BECAUSE THEIR
PARENTS
WERE
NOT
% WELCOME IN THE FIRST PLACE.%
SO
FOR
THEM TO
GO
BACK
IS
% UNIMAGINABLE.%>> WHAT HAVE
YOU
HEARD
FROM
% WISCONSIN'S
CONGRESSIONAL
% DELEGATION ABOUT
THIS?
% >> WHAT WE
HAVE
ARE
WISCONSIN
% CONGRESSIONAL
FROM
BOTH
THE
% SENATORS
AND
CONGRESSIONAL AS% WELL AS
THE
GOVERNOR TO HAVE
% WRITTEN LETTER
TO
THE
STATE
% DEPARTMENT ASKING
FOR
% EXPLANATION.
% AND
ONE,
THE
STATE
DEPARTMENT% STOP
NEGOTIATING
WITH
THIS
% PROCESS.
% SO
THAT'S WHAT
WE
HAD SO
FAR.
% JUST THIS
WEEK,
WE
HAD A
% TREMENDOUS REPORT AS FAR AS
THE
% ELECTED
OFFICIALS.% >> WHAT
IS
YOUR
FAMILY'S
STORY
% OF
FLEEING
LAOS?
% UNFORTUNATELY, WE
HAVE
BUT A
% MINUTE
LEFT.% >> WELL
WITH,
I'M
, WE
WERE
ABLE
TO
ESCAPE
% LAOS
EARLY
IN
1975.
% BUT
FROM
MY
KNOWLEDGE,
THROUGH% THIS
FLEEING
THE
COUNTRY,
HMONG,
% THOUSAND
AND
THOUSAND HAD
DIED
% ALONG THIS
TRAIL
AND
CROSSING
% THE
MEKONG
RIVER
IS
NOT AN
EASY
% TASK.
% SO THEY
WANT
THE
ONES
THAT
MADE IT
TO
THIS
% COUNTRY
ARE
THE
LUCKY ONES.
% IN THE
'80s,
'90s,
THEY
% COMMIT SOME
CRIME,
BUT
WHEN THEY
% WERE
YOUNGER
AND
SERVING
THEIR
% TIME, THEY ARE
BEING
DEPORTED
TO% A
COUNTRY
THEY
DON'T
EVEN
CALL
% HOME.
% SO
IT'S A
POLICY,
WHY
WOULD
WE
% WASTE
OUR
RESOURCE
SENDING
% INDIVIDUALS BACK
TO A
COUNTRY% THAT IS
NOT
WELCOME
FOR
THEM?
% WE COULD
USE
THAT
RESOURCE
FOR
% OTHER
REASONS.% >> WE
NEED
TO
LEAVE
IT
THERE,
% BUT OF
COURSE
WE WILL BE
% WATCHING
THIS.
% LONG
VUE,
THANK
YOU VERY
MUCH.% >> THANK YOU,
TOO.
% >> LATE THIS
WEEK,
GOVERNOR TONY
% EVERS
RELEASED A
LETTER HE
WROTE
% TO SECRETARY OF
STATE
MIKE
% POMPEO
SAYING, IN
PART,
THE
% POTENTIAL
DEPORTATION
OF
HMONG
% WISCONSINITES IS YET
ANOTHER
% EXAMPLE
OF
YOUR
ADMINISTRATION'S
% PROBLEMATIC DISPOSITION AND
% POLICIES TOWARD
IMMIGRANT
% POPULATIONS.
% I URGE
YOU
TO
RECONSIDER
AND
% REITERATE MY
OPPOSITION
TO
ANY
% AGREEMENT THAT RESULTS IN
THE
% DEPORTATION
OF