Some international adoptees who grew up in the U.S. are now finding out that their citizenship may be in question. On Monday, HPR focused on “Operation Babylift,” a mass evacuation that brought infants and children to Hawaiʻi from Vietnam following the Fall of Saigon. These adoptees shared their stories and discussed how, at the time, U.S. citizenship was not automatic.
For more updates, HPR spoke with Kristine Altwies, who led the adoption agency Hawaii International Child — now known as A Family Tree — for 34 years. A Family Tree focuses on support services.
As she explains, President Bill Clinton signed a bill in 2000 that automatically conferred citizenship to children adopted from other countries. But this coverage did not extend to all, and efforts to pass new legislation and expand the protections have yet to succeed. Altwies gives context and explains what adoptees need to know about the Adoptee Citizenship Act.
This story aired on The Conversation on March 4, 2026. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m.
