The Amerasian Naturalization Act

THE AMERASIAN NATURALIZATION ACT -- (Extensions of Remarks - May 26, 2005)

SPEECH OF
HON. ZOE LOFGREN
OF CALIFORNIA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2005
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Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, our immigration law has long recognized that children born outside our country to an American father and a foreign national mother are U.S. citizens as long as their fathers take necessary steps to achieve their child's citizenship.
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Unfortunately, there remains a group of forgotten sons and daughters who, despite being born to American fathers, cannot take advantage of this existing provision of the law to become U.S. citizens. These are the offspring of American servicemen and Asian women during the Vietnam and Korean Wars whose fathers did not take the steps of acknowledging paternity necessary to make their offspring citizens. However, the American government did that for them by acknowledging that their fathers were American citizens.
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Many of these individuals have lived through devastation during war, have been mistreated by their governments because of their mixed race, and many now live in the United States, but only as legal permanent residents.
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There is no doubt that Amerasians are the sons and daughters of American fathers. Our American government already made that determination when we admitted them to the United States as legal permanent residents.
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To correct this unfair inequality in our law, I am introducing the Amerasian Naturalization Act, along with bipartisan cosponsors, to ensure that Amerasians are accorded U.S. citizenship just like the offspring of other American fathers are.
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I hope this Congress will act swiftly and pass the Amerasian Naturalization Act. It is time for us to finally close a chapter in our history that has too long denied Amerasians the opportunity to become citizens and be recognized as the Americans that they are.

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