A 40-year-old ethnic Chinese man who has been a stateless individual since birth, finally was granted political asylum in the United States with help from the Asian Law Caucus, Ryan Shih reports for the Sing Tao.

Lu Wang Da’s parents were Kuomintang (KMT, or Chinese Nationalist Party) soldiers in China’s 1946-1949 civil war. They fled China to the Golden Triangle in Southeast Asia, where Lu was born.

The People’s Republic of China refused to issue birth certificates to the children of Nationalist troops. Thailand, Burma, and Laos were all unwilling to grant Lu citizenship because he did not have official birth records. At age 10, Lu lost his parents and spent the next 30 years living as an undocumented restaurant worker in Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia and Japan.

Lu tried to enter China three times without success. After his last attempt, he smuggled himself onto a cargo ship headed for California and arrived at the Port of Oakland about six months ago.

Sailors on the ship discovered Lu and reported him to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Asian Law Caucus immigration attorney Sin Yen Ling, who represented Lu in his case for political asylum, said she was happy that his petition was successful, adding that it was rare to see cases like his approved.

The United States grants political asylum to individuals who can prove they are being persecuted in their home country -- something that can be difficult to prove for the thousands of Nationalist troops and their descendants who remain undocumented, stateless individuals.

Lu is currently residing in a temporary shelter. He plans to stay in the Bay Area and is now looking for a job and a place to live.