Sets forth documentation and eligibility determination requirements.
Limits total entrants to 45,000.
[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2025 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
106th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2025
To facilitate the naturalization of aliens who served with special
guerrilla units or irregular forces in Laos.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 2, 2000
Mr. Grams introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To facilitate the naturalization of aliens who served with special
guerrilla units or irregular forces in Laos.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the Hmong Veterans' Naturalization Act of
2000''.
SEC. 2. REQUIREMENTS AS TO UNDERSTANDING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE FOR
CERTAIN ALIENS WHO SERVED WITH SPECIAL GUERRILLA UNITS OR
IRREGULAR FORCES IN LAOS.
(a) Prohibition.--No alien described in subsection (b) shall be
naturalized as a citizen of the United States upon his own application
who cannot demonstrate an understanding of the English language,
including an ability to speak words in ordinary usage in the English
language, except that the requirements of this subsection shall be met
if the applicant can speak simple words and phrases to the end that the
applicant can perform daily functions and that no extraordinary or
unreasonable condition shall be imposed upon the applicant.
(b) Covered Aliens.--An alien described in this subsection is an
alien--
(1) who--
(A) was admitted into the United States as a
refugee from Laos pursuant to section 207 of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157); and
(B) served with a special guerrilla unit, or
irregular forces, operating from a base in Laos in
support of the United States military at any time
during the period beginning February 28, 1961, and
ending September 18, 1978; or
(2) who--
(A) satisfies the requirement of paragraph (1)(A);
and
(B) was the spouse of a person described in
paragraph (1) on the day on which such described person
applied for admission into the United States as a
refugee.
SEC. 3. SPECIAL CONSIDERATION CONCERNING CIVICS REQUIREMENT FOR CERTAIN
ALIENS WHO SERVED WITH SPECIAL GUERRILLA UNITS OR
IRREGULAR FORCES IN LAOS.
The Attorney General shall provide for special consideration, as
determined by the Attorney General, concerning the requirement of
paragraph (2) of section 312(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act
(8 U.S.C. 1423(a)(2)) with respect to the naturalization of any person
described in paragraph (1) or (2) of section 2 of this Act.
SEC. 4. DOCUMENTATION OF QUALIFYING SERVICE.
A person seeking an exemption under section 2 or special
consideration under section 3, or an individual filing on behalf of
that person, shall submit to the Attorney General documentation of the
service by the person or the person's spouse with a special guerrilla
unit, or irregular forces, described in section 2(1)(B), in the form
of--
(1) original documents;
(2) an affidavit of the serving person's superior officer;
(3) two affidavits from other individuals who also were
serving with such a special guerrilla unit, or irregular
forces, and who personally knew of the person's service; or
(4) other appropriate proof.
SEC. 5. DETERMINATION OF ELIGIBILITY FOR EXEMPTION AND SPECIAL
CONSIDERATION.
In determining a person's eligibility for an exemption under
section 2 or special consideration under section 3, the Attorney
General--
(1) shall review the refugee processing documentation for
the person, or, in an appropriate case, for the person and the
person's spouse, to verify that the requirements of section 2
relating to refugee applications and admissions have been
satisfied;
(2) shall consider the documentation submitted by the
person, or by the individual filing on behalf of a person,
under section 4; and
(3) shall request an advisory opinion from the Secretary of
Defense and the Director of Central Intelligence regarding the
person's or their spouse's service in a special guerrilla unit,
or irregular forces, described in section 2(1)(B) and shall
take into account that opinion.
SEC. 6. DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION AND PAYMENT OF FEES.
This Act shall apply to a person only if the person's application
for naturalization is filed, as provided in section 334 of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1445), with appropriate fees
not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act.
SEC. 7. LIMITATION ON NUMBER OF BENEFICIARIES.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the total number
of aliens who may be granted an exemption under section 2 or special
consideration under section 3, or both, may not exceed 45,000.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
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