By Associated Press
America’s Laotian Vietnam War allies will get an extra 18 months to take the U.S. citizenship test in their native language.
President George W. Bush signed the extension into law on Nov. 28 as part of a bill funding the Commerce, Justice and State Departments.
The original Hmong legislation, which expired on Nov. 26, allowed Laotians recruited by the CIA for covert military actions during the Vietnam War, and their spouses and widows, to take the citizenship test in their native language. Most are Hmong, an ethnic group from the highland of Laos. The Hmong language did not have a written form until recently, making it difficult for veterans to learn English.
Former President Clinton signed that bill in May 2000. The late Rep. Bruce Vento of Minnesota fought for the original legislation for a decade, finally winning passage of it a few months before dying of lung cancer last year.
Although the law allowed for 45,000 people to become citizens under the relaxed requirements, less than 5,000 have been naturalized, according to Philip Smith, Washington director of Lao Veterans of America.
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