But with so much time passed, digging up her father’s past has been tough. Though her dad served in the U.S. military, Cynthia was informed his military records were destroyed in a fire at the government facility where they were housed.

Without enough evidence, Cynthia is not eligible for dual citizenship, which means she won’t be able to collect her Social Security retirement benefits, which she estimates are worth about $2,000 per month.

“Fuck you, this is our fault.”