The U.S. State Department has waived an anti-terrorism law to allow thousands of ethnic-Karen refugees from Burma to be resettled in the United States.
Current U.S. law forbids resettlement in the United States of any person who has given material support to terrorist organizations.
A statement issued by the State Department Tuesday says many of the Karen refugees have given support to the Karen National Union, a group that has been fighting Burma's military government.
The State Department says it has determined the Karen are population of "special humanitarian concern" because of persecution they faced in their country. The State Department issued a similar waiver earlier this year.
The U.S. government has approved 27,00 Karen refugees to be resettled in the United States by the end of this year.
