Representatives Tran, Correa Introduce Honor Our Commitment Act

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, U.S. Representatives Derek Tran (CA-45) and Lou Correa (CA-46) introduced the Honor Our Commitment Act, which would prohibit the deportation of Vietnamese refugees who came to the United States prior to July 12, 1995, when relations between the U.S. and Vietnam were normalized. These refugees face the risk of deportation under the current administration's anti-immigration policies. Rep. Henry Johnson (GA-4) served as a co-sponsor for the legislation.

"As the son of Vietnamese refugees and the first Vietnamese American to represent Orange County's Little Saigon in Congress, I am committed to protecting the Vietnamese refugees, many of whom fought alongside American troops, who came to this country in search of freedom and democracy. The Vietnamese American community has defined what it means to achieve the American dream, working tirelessly and passing on a better life to our children. We must ensure that Vietnamese refugees are protected and able to prosper in the country they have called home for decades," said Rep. Derek Tran.

"Orange County is home to the largest Vietnamese population outside of Vietnam, who created a vibrant culture and booming economy that shaped our community for the better. Vietnam War refugees saw the opportunity that lay before them and made the best of it," said Rep. Lou Correa. "We need to make sure that we protect those refugees, many of whom worked with Americans and fought alongside our troops in the war. Returning these refugees to Vietnam poses a threat to their lives, liberty, and security. They have earned the right to be in America, and they shouldn't be forced to return to a country they left decades ago."

The Honor Our Commitment Act would codify protections given to Vietnamese refugees in the U.S. under a 2008 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the U.S. and Vietnam that included protection from deportation for pre-1995 refugees. The MOU was honored by President Barack Obama. In the last months of his first term, President Trump renegotiated the MOU with Vietnam to remove the protection and allow for the deportations of refugees.

Under the Honor Our Commitments Act, a Vietnamese national who arrived in the U.S. on or before July 12, 1995, and has continuously resided in the U.S. since, and is subject to a final order of removal, cannot be detained or deported. The legislation provides exceptions for cases in which the individual is determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security to be directly responsible for harming the security of the U.S., or the individual is subject to criminal extradition.

Little Saigon in Orange County is home to the largest Vietnamese population outside of Vietnam, with nearly 100,000 Vietnamese Americans residing there. Since taking office in January 2025, Tran's office has opened over 230 cases to assist constituents related to the adjudication of their immigration status with federal agencies.

As the first Vietnamese American elected to represent the world's largest Vietnamese diaspora, Representative Tran is committed to preserving and amplifying his community's history on the national stage. Tran introduced a congressional resolution to formally mark April 30, 2026, as the 51st anniversary of Black April, and, in April 2025, held a series of events in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon. Tran, a vocal advocate for advancing human rights in Vietnam, co-led H.R. 3122, the bipartisan Vietnam Human Rights Act, to hold Vietnamese communist officials accountable for human rights abuses and establish human rights and fair-trade priorities for U.S.-Vietnam relations. Representative Tran serves as the official sponsor of Le Huu Minh Tuan, a Vietnamese journalist who was wrongfully imprisoned by the communist government, through the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission's Defending Freedoms Project and continues to fight for the release of prisoners of conscience around the world.

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Congressman Derek Tran represents California's 45th Congressional District. Serving his first term in Congress, Congressman Tran is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and House Small Business Committee, where he is Ranking Member of the Oversight, Investigations, and Regulations Subcommittee. Congressman Tran is the son of Vietnamese refugees, a Veteran, and fought for consumers as an attorney before entering Congress.