From 1960 to 1975, thousands of Hmong, recruited by the CIA, fought in the U.S.’s secret war in Laos. Despite the U.S. governments promise to help and protect the Hmong, when it pulled out of Southeast Asia in 1975, it left the behind most of these soldiers, pilots, and medics, as well as their families. Those left behind were forced into reeducation camps by the new Laotian government, fled to the jungle, or fled to refugee camps in Thailand. Of those who made it to Thailand, eventually 160,000 resettled as refugees in the United States. Minnesota became home to the second largest Hmong refugee population in the U.S., currently estimated at 45,000 to 60,000. In the early 1990’s, the Thai government began to repatriate the remaining Hmong back to Laos. About 30,000 to 40,000 refused to return due to a fear of mistreatment. No longer considered “Persons of Concern” by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), these “refugees” were left to fend for themselves. Many established a small village outside a local temple (Wat Tham Krabok), working for local businesses and farmers to earn a living. When the temple’s abbot died several years ago the Thai government took control of the area and began to restrict the refugees’ entry and exit. In December 2003, the U.S. government responded to a request from the Thai government to interview for resettlement to the U.S. the 14,696 refugees who had registered with the Thai government. Of these refugees, it is estimated that up to 5,000 will reunify with family members in Minnesota throughout 2004 and early 2005.

News about the influx of new Hmong refugees to the Twin Cities has generated a variety of responses from both the media and the public. As part of its Building Immigrant Awareness and Support (BIAS) Project, The Advocates for Human Rights has gathered information to understand the community’s perspective on this issue and to respond by providing inaccurate information. In reviewing the information, the need to clarify common misperceptions about refugees, and immigrants, in general, became apparent. For example, one common misperception is that refugees come to the U.S. for economic reasons. While some immigrants may come to the U.S. for economic reasons, refugees flee their homelands and cannot return due to a fear of persecution. The U.S. government has determined that the newly arriving Hmong are refugees who should be resettled as part of the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program that was established by the Refugee Act of 1980.

Another common false assumption is that the U.S. is the only country that accepts refugees. In reality, the heaviest burden of supporting refugees often goes to countries of first asylum, such as Thailand in the case of the Hmong refugees. These host nations typically make-up some of the poorest countries in world. For instance, Africa and Asia combined host about 71 percent of all people designated as refugees. While the U.S., in the year 2003, hosted less than .3 percent of the total number of refugees.

Many people incorrectly believe that refugees come to Minnesota due to the large number of charity organizations and its generous welfare system. In reality, Minnesota is a reunification state, which means that only refugees with family members already in Minnesota are resettled here. In 2002, only 2 percent of all refugees settled in the U.S. were placed in Minnesota.

Because Minnesota is home to one of the largest Hmong populations in the U.S., about one-third of the newly arriving Hmong refugees are expected to resettle in Minnesota. Thus, unlike their families who came decades ago, these newcomers will have a ready-built support network in Minnesota to help them adapt, and find housing and employment. In terms of welfare, most refugees do qualify for special time-limited small amounts of cash and medical assistance. For other assistance, they are subject to the same rules and standards as any other low-income family receiving state or federal assistance. Most public benefit programs have strict time limits and requirements for job placement.

Despite the challenges faced by these new arrivals, experts are optimistic that they will adapt as well, if not more quickly, than their families who came decades ago. The Hmong have shown great loyalty to the U.S. for over 50 years. The Hmong community in Minnesota has adapted successfully to life in the U.S. As a society we should welcome the newly arriving Hmong into our communities to help make the transition into a new culture as smooth as possible.