Our Children of the Enemy: The Amerasian Homecoming Act of 1987 and Bringing 'Home' Vietnamese Amerasians to the United States

This study examines the discourse and policy interaction surrounding the Amerasian Homecoming Act of 1987, which facilitated the transpacific migration of Vietnamse "Amerasians"-often mixed-race people of Vietnamese and American parentage-to the United States. Through this immigration act, the United States welcomed "home" Amerasians to resolve the unintended consequences of America's war in Vietnam. This study, thus, contributes to the understanding of the American military abroad and its intrinsic ties with the nation's immigration policies. It also suggests that the opening of its immigration gates for "our children of the enemy," constructed in the nexus of American cold war responsibility and "humanitarian rescue," facilitated the postwar diplomatic normalization between the former cold war foes and rendered an opportunity for Americans to reshape the memory and legacy of the bitter war in Vietnam.