>> A POLICY SHIFT IN WASHINGTON
LEAVES THOUSANDS OF HMONG
RESIDENTS WORRIED THEY COULD BE
SENT BACK TO 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 DEVELOPMENT 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 LAOTIANS 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 BE 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