Shirley Chung was only twelve months when she was adopted by a American couple back in 1966.
Hailing from the Korean peninsula, her birth father was a member of the American military, who returned home soon after Shirley was born.
"He left us behind, is the nicest way I can put it," states Shirley, now 61.
Approximately one year later, Shirley was adopted by a US couple, who took her back to the Lone Star State.
An American Upbringing
Shirley grew up living a life similar to that of many American youths.
"I moved and breathed and got in trouble like many American teenagers during the eighties. I belong of the 80s," Shirley recalls.
She became a mother, got married and became a piano teacher.
Her life progressed for decades with no reason to question her American identity.
But then in 2012, her world came crashing down.
Discovering Non-Citizen Status
She misplaced her government identification and needed a replacement.
However when she visited her local Social Security office, Shirley was told she needed to prove her status in the country.
"I experienced an emotional collapse after finding out I wasn't a citizen," she says.
A Common Issue
This situation isn't unique. Estimates of how many US adopted individuals are without citizenship range from 18,000 to 75,000.
Dozens adopted individuals have been deported to their nations of origin in the past decade, as reported by adoptee rights organizations.
Additional Account
Another woman, preferring to remain unnamed for concern about drawing notice of authorities, was taken in by an American couple from the Middle East in 1973 when she was two years old.
"I adapted to my life, consistently believing that I was a US national. That's what I was told. I continue to feel that today," she states.
Legal Background
For decades, international adoptions authorized through legal systems did not automatically guarantee US citizenship.
The Child Citizenship Act of 2000 created progress in addressing this issue, granting automatic citizenship to children adopted from abroad.
Present Concerns
Those fears for adopted individuals and their families have risen even further following shifts in administration.
Advocacy organizations say they have been overwhelmed by requests for help and some adoptees have disappeared from public view.
"When the election results came in, it started to really cascade with requests for help," noted an attorney specializing in adoptee cases.
Lacking National Identity
"At the end of the day, they don't care about your back story. They don't care that your presence is lawful and it's merely documentation issues," she expressed.
"I always tell people that one document of paper has fundamentally damaged my life," she said.
"From my perspective currently, I feel stateless."
Potential Solution
Despite adoptees being left in limbo for many years, attorneys believe it is just a case of political will that should unite people from all political parties.
"It should be a straightforward fix: adopted children should be treated the same as their biological siblings of parents who were American nationals at the moment of their birth," said a legal advocate.
Last Appeal
The adoptee hopes she could meet with national leaders into a room, so she and similar individuals could explain their stories.
"I would request to please have some compassion. We're not illegal aliens," she stated.
"We were placed on planes as little itty-bitty babies. Please listen to our accounts and please follow through with the commitment that the United States gave each one of the children that got on those planes: US nationality."
