Rep. Michelle Steel
U.S. Rep. Michelle Steel (R-CA) this week joined a bipartisan group of more than a dozen of her colleagues to introduce legislation that would halt the removal of certain nationals of Vietnam from the United States.
“I’m proud to represent the nearly 200,000 Vietnamese Americans that live in Orange County [Calif.]. Thousands of these men and women risked their lives to escape communism for a life of freedom in America,” Rep. Steel said on Tuesday. “We owe it to them to honor our promises and ensure they can remain safe in the United States to live their American dream.”
Rep. Steel is among 16 original cosponsors of the Honor Our Commitment Act, H.R. 7708, which is sponsored by U.S. Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-CA) to codify protections afforded to Vietnamese refugees in the United States under a 2008 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the U.S. and Vietnam.
In keeping with the terms of the 2008 MOU, H.R. 7708 specifically would prohibit the deportation of refugees who came to the U.S. prior to July 12, 1995, in the wake of the Vietnam War, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Steel’s staff.
H.R. 7708 is also in response to a 2020 agreement signed between Vietnam and the Trump administration that allowed for the deportation of pre-1995 Vietnamese refugees in the U.S, in contradiction of the 2008 MOU, the summary says.
“For more than a decade, administrations of both parties recognized our promised commitment to protect these pre-1995 refugees,” said Rep. Lowenthal. “However, the Trump administration’s obsession with deporting thousands of refugees from Vietnam and other countries of Southeast Asia, culminating in its 2020 deportation agreement, remains morally disturbing and violates the clear promises we made to these refugees.”
H.R. 7708 has been referred for consideration to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee.