Cambodian Americans

Immigration History

Cambodian Americans generally divide their immigration to the United States into three time periods, corresponding with the changing political situation in Cambodia and their experience of war and trauma. The first period of immigration began in the 1950s and includes some 200 students and professionals who came to study and work in the United States. This period ended in 1965, when Norodom Sihanouk, then head of state of Cambodia, cut off diplomatic relations with the United States.

The second immigration period began in 1970 after Marshall Lon Nol took control of the Cambodian government and restored relations with the United States. Between 1970 and 1974, roughly 500 military [Page 222]personnel, students, and immigrants arrived. In April 1975, as the Khmer Rouge solidified their control of the country, 4,600 individuals who had connections to the U.S. government and military were evacuated from Cambodia to the United States. Between 1976 and 1978, another 2,700 military, ambassadors, students, and professionals who were outside Cambodia when it fell to the Khmer Rouge were admitted to the United States as part of a family reunification program.

The third period of immigration is the largest and longest and was composed of the nearly 140,000 individuals arriving after 1979, most of whom had lived in Cambodia during the deadly “Pol Pot Time,” so called by Cambodians for the man who headed this regime. Within days of taking control of Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge evacuated the cities, abolished money, and shut down all businesses, markets, and public institutions, including schools and hospitals. In many parts of the country, families were separated by age and gender and assigned to work groups. Every aspect of life was monitored by the Khmer Rouge, including where people lived, who they talked to, and what they could eat and when. Educated individuals were targeted for extermination, and anyone who disobeyed the orders of the Khmer Rouge faced the very real possibility of execution. It is estimated that 1 to 1.5 million men, women, and children were murdered or died of disease and overwork during this time.

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