President Carter’s legacy includes policies which helped bring more Hmong people to Minnesota

As president, Jimmy Carter helped make it easier for Hmong refugees to come to the United States. Lee Pao Xiong, the founding director of the Center for Hmong Studies at Concordia University in St. Paul spoke with MPR News senior reporter Sarah Thamer about how Minnesota became a key destination for Hmong refugees like himself and how Carter-era policies made a difference. 

I want to hear a little bit about your experience moving to Minnesota as a refugee. When did you arrive? And what was life like back then? 

My family were part of the first 10,000 Hmong that settled the United States. So we came to the United States on Oct. 22 of 1976 and we were sponsored by Bean Blossom Mennonite Church in Indiana, and then eventually moved to Minnesota in 1979 because my uncle was the first Hmong refugee to settle here in Minnesota. So he came here about February of 1976. 

What do you remember from that time?

I think it was fewer Hmong people, for sure. And when we moved to Minnesota, there were only 2,000 Hmong, and now we have 103,000 Hmong. And I remember during that time, we couldn’t find any Asian stores that would have any grocery stores or any stores that sell Asian produce, and we were buying rice and buying bamboo shoots and cans and all that from a Thai lady who was selling out of her garage in Little Canada. And so it's very different.

And at that time, when we moved here, people didn’t know who the Hmong people were, you know, and so they called us all kinds of names, told us to go home. We had a lot of tension in the schools, because, again, people didn’t know why we’re here. 

How did the Carter administration policies contribute to Minnesota becoming a hub for Hmong resettlement?

I think it’s important to understand that you know, President Carter signed the Refugee Act of 1980 and prior to that, there was a Refugee Act, but the focus is on Europe only. So the Refugee Act of 1980 basically aligned itself with the United Nations refugee charter of 1951 which basically opened up the resettlement for refugees, political refugees and also gave rights to refugees, fleeing refugees, they would have access to court, education, to jobs and also, a particular refugee seeking political asylums, they would not be locked up or be criminally charged.

And so that was very important, because that opened up opportunities for many of the refugees seeking political asylum, seeking refuge in the country because of communism.

Do you think that life for you and other folks who share a similar experience as you would have been different had it not been for the Refugee Act of 1980?

Absolutely, you know, not to be political, but if we had the same conversation that we have right now about refugees and about immigration back then, none of us would have been settled in the United States. We would not be able to come here.

When you think about the Carter administration’s role in Hmong resettlement, what lessons are there to be learned that could apply to today’s refugee programs?

I think the lessons that we all can learn from that is, again, go at it with the lens of humanitarian aid. And so really helping people who are struggling and knowing that eventually they will become contributing members of society.

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