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Adoptee deported to Vietnam after decades in the US, faces life alone

Aug 1, 2025

Country of origin: Vietnam

Adoptee deported to Vietnam after decades in the US, faces life alone
Photo via straitstimes.com

Andrew Fenton, 58, was adopted from Vietnam by an American couple in 1975 after his father falsely claimed he was an orphan, but he never obtained US citizenship because the adoption agency and his parents were not told to file the required paperwork. He accumulated minor arrests over decades, and in August 2025 immigration agents detained and deported him to Vietnam. Fenton, who has no family and does not speak Vietnamese, initially worked 12-hour security shifts before recently finding better-paying work as a cook at a cafe in Vung Tau.

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