Dec. 1987 – Amerasian Homecoming Act Allows Children Fathered by American Troops in Vietnam to Immigrate to the United States

“One of the great tragedies of the Vietnam War is the story of the Amerasians–children of U.S. servicemen and Vietnamese women. There are tens of thousands of such children. In Vietnam, they were known as ‘children of the dust’ because they were considered as insignificant as specks of dust, and many (if not most) suffered discrimination, abuse, poverty, and homelessness. Although the fathers of these children were United States citizens, the children did not qualify to immigrate to the U.S. The situation was complicated by the absence of diplomatic relations between the government of the United States and the government of Vietnam… Congressman [Robert] Mrazek resolved to help these children. The result was the Amerasian Homecoming Act, which went into effect in early 1988 [and allowed these children to immigrate to the United States].”