I was surprised and disappointed that there were concerns expressed about this amendment. I had thought it would be noncontroversial. During the Vietnam war. the CIA recruited tens of thousands of Hmong people to serve in special guerrilla forces. to fight against the Communist government in Laos. Between 10.000 and 20.000 of them are estimated to have lost their lives in this struggle. and thousands more were forced to flee to refugee camps or to other nations when the war ended to avoid the persecution that many feared would follow. Many came to the United States. concentrating in California. Minnesota.