U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Susan Collins (R-ME), along with U.S. Representatives Adam Smith (D-WA) and Don Bacon (R-NE), have introduced the Protect Adoptees and American Families Act in Congress. The bill seeks to grant U.S. citizenship to individuals who were legally adopted from abroad as children but lack citizenship because of a gap in the Child Citizenship Act of 2000.
Senator Hirono said, “Thousands of American families and their internationally-adopted children have been living in fear and uncertainty due to an oversight in the Child Citizenship Act, which is why I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing legislation that would provide a long overdue solution to address this issue.” She added, “The Protect Adoptees and American Families Act will help keep families together, and ensure that international adoptees are afforded the rights they deserve as U.S. citizens.”
Before 2000, families adopting children from other countries needed to go through an additional naturalization process after adoption. If this process was not completed or paperwork was missing, some adoptees grew up unaware they were not citizens. The Child Citizenship Act of 2000 granted automatic citizenship only to those under 18 at its enactment date in February 2001, leaving out those who had already reached adulthood.
The new bill aims to confirm citizenship for all internationally adopted individuals regardless of when they were adopted or their age at the time of adoption. It also creates a path for eligible adoptees currently living outside the United States, requiring background checks and resolution of legal matters before granting citizenship.
This legislative change addresses challenges faced by affected adoptees, including difficulties accessing education, jobs, financial services, and even cases where people have been deported to countries where they lack family or community ties.
Several organizations support the measure:
Becky Belcore, Co-Director of the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (NAKASEC), said: “As a national network in five states, the NAKASEC network strongly urges the immediate passage of this legislation. Birth parents, adoptive parents, and sending countries partnered with the United States with the understanding that adoptees would be full members of their families – with all the rights, protections, and opportunities afforded to them. It’s important to note that citizenship for adoptees is an issue only in the United States. No other receiving country failed to confer citizenship for the children in their care. It’s time for the United States to fulfill their promises and secure citizenship for all intercountry adoptees.”
Wonseok Song from Korean American Grassroots Conference stated: “We recognize the challenges faced by adoptees who, though raised in American families and contributing fully to our communities, continue to live without the protections of citizenship. We applaud the leadership of Rep. Smith, Rep. Bacon, Sen. Hirono, and Sen. Collins in introducing the Protect Adoptees and American Families Act… With Korean American adoptees among the most affected… we are committed to working with partners to ensure this vital legislation is enacted…”
Ryan Hanlon from National Council For Adoption noted: “NCFA supports… Congress intended citizenship for children being internationally adopted by American citizens but a complicated… system resulted in some parents failing…”
Kristie De Pena from Niskanen Center said: “The Protect Adoptees and American Families Act fixes a 25-year loophole that has prevented internationally adopted Americans… There is no excuse… Now is the time for Congress…”
National Immigration Forum added: “We support this effort… The Protect Adoptees and American Families Act supports a core aspect of our national values…”
Priya Purandare from NAPABA stated: “Fundamental fairness demands that those children who were lawfully adopted… enjoy full privileges… Yet for thousands…, so many arrived from Asian countries…, that basic promise has been denied due to inadvertent missing paperwork….”
Rachel Koelzer from Adoptees For Justice commented: “Adoptees… across country are living in fear… learning they are not citizens when well into adulthood… urgent need for immediate legislative repair…”
Amanda Cho from Alliance for Adoptee Citizenship said: “…introduction of this bill shows… leaders recognize profound injustice… This is tenth year bill has been introduced – let’s get it passed this session!”
An unnamed adoptee identified as H described personal experience: “To be adopted into a family is… embraced as one… Our adoptive parents were under impression we were citizens through adoption process…. Now years later we are in limbo…, many deported…. How is it fair…? This bill needs be law…”
The legislation has received endorsements from groups such as Adoptee Rights Campaign; Korean American Grassroots Conference; National Council For Adoption; Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission; NAKASEC; Niskanen Center; Center for Adoption Policy; National Immigration Forum; National Asian Pacific American Bar Association; Adoptees for Justice; Family Coalition for Adoptee Citizenship; National Alliance for Adoptee Equality; Alliance for Adoptee Citizenship.
More details about how previous laws left certain adult international adoptees without automatic U.S. citizenship can be found on official government resources such as https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1593/text.
