LESSON 6: ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN IMMIGRATION
Filipino Immigration: 1900s–1934
After the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898, the Philippines became a protectorate of the United States. In the 1920s,
large numbers of Filipino men came to work on farms and canneries throughout the Northwest, replacing the dwindling supply
of Japanese workers. Many of these migrant workers lived in the Chinatown-International District, forming a large bachelor
society similar to the Chinese. Like other Asians, Filipinos were barred from owning land and were subjected to racial violence.
In the late 1920s, Filipinos were driven from their homes in the Yakima Valley. In 1934, when the Philippines were granted
commonwealth status, the U.S. applied restrictions and cut back Filipino immigration to 50 people each year.
After WWII: Filipino, Chinese, South Asian and Korean Immigration
In later years, some Filipino veterans of World War II were able to come to the U.S. and gain their citizenship. Koreans began
coming in large numbers in the 1960s and 70s. The passage of the 1965 Immigration Act, a sweeping reform of the immigration
laws, resulted in an explosion in immigration. Many settled on the West Coast, with a smaller number moving to the East Coast.
SOUTHEAST ASIAN REFUGEES
After the Vietnam War ended with the Fall of Saigon in 1975, hundreds of thousands of refugees came to the U.S. to escape the
Communist regimes and political upheaval in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
Vietnamese
In 1954, Vietnam gained independence from France, but was split into North and South. The North Vietnamese, aided by the
Viet Cong, defeated the Southern Army, which was supported by the Americans. With the communist takeover in 1975, South
Vietnamese who had worked with the United States military, fled to this country. This group consisted of mainly highly educated
professionals that were able to adapt fairly well in American mainstream society.
However, a second wave of Vietnamese started leaving the country to escape the government re-education camps. They were
often less educated, coming from the rural areas and escaping to Hong Kong or Malaysia on fishing boats. From there, many
stayed in refugee camps until they were sponsored into the United States or another country. Many of these “boat people”
perished at sea or were attacked by pirates.
Cambodians (Khmer)
In the early 1970s, the Vietnam War spilled into Cambodia. The communist-backed Khmer Rouge fought against Cambodian
government troops until the Fall of Saigon in 1975. Under Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge forced citizens to move to state-run labor
camps. There, they worked 16 hours a day and were given starvation diets. Between 1970 and 1980, an estimated 3 million
Cambodian people (out of a population of 8 million) died by execution, starvation or disease. In 1979, the Vietnamese invaded
Cambodia and interrupted the Khmer Rouge terror.
Cambodians came to the U.S. in two waves. The first wave was in 1975, and the second in the early 1980s. Many spent months
in refugee camps in Thailand before being sponsored to the U.S. Many of the refugees came from rural areas and had little
education and knowledge of Western culture. In Seattle, Cambodians (who also call themselves “Khmer”) founded many
social and cultural organizations, and many maintain their traditional Buddhist religion.
Laotians and Hill Tribes
During the 1960s, Laotians and Hill Tribe men were recruited and trained by the U.S. CIA to aid in the war effort against
North Vietnam. The bombing of Laos in the late 1960s caused the flight of 600,000 refugees. Laotians began coming to
the U.S. in 1979.
The Hmong, Mien and Khmu are three of the minority groups that lived in the highlands of Laos. From 1975 to the early 80s,
those suspected of working with the U.S. fled the communist Pathet Lao regime. The Pathet Lao killed an estimated 10 percent
of the Hmong population after the Vietnam War. Other groups had fled earlier to escape the bombing of Laos.
Summary
This brief historical overview is intended to provide you with a summary and to illustrate the diversity of Asians and Pacific
Islanders in the Pacific Northwest.
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