One Man's Terrorist Is Another's Refugee

Several news organizations have picked up an AP story about Hmong refugees being denied entry to the U.S. The Hmong fought in Laos for the CIA, during the Vietnam War, and many of them have fled that country since, often resettling and building new lives in places like Minnesota and Wisconsin. But recently they've been running into trouble. The USA PATRIOT Act barred anyone who had given "material support" to a terrorist organization from immigrating. "Terrorist organization" was broadly defined to include any group that uses an "explosive, firearm, or other weapon or dangerous device (other than for mere personal monetary gain), with intent to endanger, directly or indirectly, the safety of one or more individuals or to cause substantial damage to property." The Hmong, many of whom rebelled against their government in service of the U.S., are running afoul of this restriction.

It would be easy to dismiss this story as yet another example of a law with unintended consequences, but that would ignore the deeper lesson. This is just one example of the problems that happen when we decide to divide the world population into "good guys" and "terrorists." Real life is more complicated, and real people don't sort neatly into categories. The Hmong are not evildoers, even using Bush's comic-book-like idea of what evil is, but viewed through the lens of a law meant to separate those who are "for us" from those who are "against us," they look just a bit like terrorists.