Legislation aims to protect Vietnam War refugees
WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Representatives Lou Correa (CA-46) and Derek Tran (CA-45) reintroduced the Honor Our Commitment Act, which would prohibit the deportation of Vietnamese refugees who came to the United States prior to July 12, 1995, when relations between the U.S. and Vietnam were normalized. These refugees face risk of deportation under the current administration's anti-immigration policies. Rep. Henry Johnson (GA-4) served as a co-sponsor for the legislation.
“Orange County is home to the largest Vietnamese population outside of Vietnam, who created a vibrant culture and booming economy that shaped our community for the better. Vietnam War refugees saw the opportunity that lay before them and made the best of it,” said Rep. Lou Correa. “We need to make sure that we protect those refugees, many of whom worked with Americans and fought alongside our troops in the war. Returning these refugees to Vietnam poses a threat to their lives, liberty, and security. They have earned the right to be in America, and they shouldn’t be forced to return to a country they left decades ago.”
The Honor Our Commitment Act would codify protections given to Vietnamese refugees in the U.S. under a 2008 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the U.S. and Vietnam that included protection from deportation for pre-1995 refugees. The MOU was honored by President Barack Obama. In the last months of his first term, President Trump renegotiated the MOU with Vietnam to remove the protection and allow for deportations of refugees.
Under the Honor Our Commitments Act, a Vietnamese national who arrived in the U.S. on or before July 12, 1995 and has continuously resided in the U.S. since, and is subject to a final order of removal, cannot be detained or deported. The legislation provides exceptions for cases in which the individual is determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security to be directly responsible for harming the security of the U.S., or the individual is subject to criminal extradition.
“As the son of Vietnamese refugees and the first Vietnamese American to represent Orange County’s Little Saigon in Congress, I am committed to protecting the Vietnamese refugees, many of whom fought alongside American troops, who came to this country in search of freedom and democracy. The Vietnamese American community has defined what it means to achieve the American dream, working tirelessly and passing on a better life to our children. We must ensure that Vietnamese refugees are protected and able to prosper in the country they have called home for decades,” said Rep. Tran.
According to the Orange County Register, the Little Saigon neighborhood in Orange County is home to the largest Vietnamese population outside of Vietnam, with nearly 100,000 Vietnamese Americans residing there who make up more than 46 percent of the residents in the Little Saigon neighborhood and 6.8 percent of the County’s population. Little Saigon started out as a small community of Vietnam War refugees in Westminster who started small businesses and eventually grew into a thriving residential and business community that extended to parts of Garden Grove, Fountain Valley, and Santa Ana. Part of this neighborhood is located in California’s 46th Congressional District, which Rep. Correa represents.
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