The House Judiciary Committee unanimously passed legislation Thursday that would make it easier for America’s Laotian allies during the Vietnam War to become citizens of this country.
Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.), the committee’s chairman, said the measure is needed “in recognition of their compelling circumstances and extraordinary sacrifices.”
Attending the hearing were more than 100 Hmong and Lao veterans dressed in military fatigues. They applauded when Hyde announced that the committee had passed the bill.
The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Bruce Vento (D-Minn.), waives the English-language requirement for Hmong and Laotians who were recruited, often as children, by the CIA in Laos for covert military actions.
Supporters say the Hmong, an ethnic group in Laos, have found it difficult to learn English because their language did not have a written form until recently.
