Sen. Soliai Tuipine Fuimaono has called on the Attorney General’s Office to work with American Samoa’s Delegate to the U.S. House to change the law that gives children of foreigners born in American Samoa U.S. National status and change it so those children will carry citizenship of their parents’ home country.

Samoa News should point out that this particular issue has surfaced over the years in the Fono and former Congressman Faleomavaega Eni has said U.S. National status is a federal law and therefore only U.S. Congress has the authority to change it.

Lawmakers have been particularly concerned in the past over the number of Asians migrating into the territory and there is fear that in the future, Asians — especially Chinese — will be eligible to be governor, and lawmakers, because of their status as U.S. nationals.

During a Senate Judicial Committee hearing recently, Soliai — who is also the committee chairman — raised this issue with Attorney General Talauega Eleasalo Ale, who was summoned to testify on legislation seeking to amend local immigration laws dealing with corporate sponsors.

Soliai recalled that during the time he was chief election officer, an individual came in to register as a voter and the person’s birth certificate showed the birth place as Germany, but because the person’s parents were stationed in Germany during active military duty, the person had U.S. citizenship — which was shown on the U.S. passport.

Soliai says this regulation or law should also apply to Asian couples who live and work in the territory. “If the Chinese parents have an infant child born here, that child should not be considered a U.S. national or American Samoan but a citizen of the parent’s birth place — in this case its China,” said Soliai, adding that there is an increased number of Chinese migrating to the territory.

“Can this be done, having Chinese babies born here maintain citizenship of the parent’s home country? That’s the question that we should look at and then see if it can be done,” he said and requested that the Attorney General’s Office look into this issue and also reached out to Congresswoman Aumua Amata to see if this matter can be address through appropriate federal legislation.

Soliai also made clear that this shouldn’t apply to “our brothers and sisters” from Samoa because “we all have families and close ties with Samoa.”