Shirley Chung was just a year old when she was adopted by a American couple during 1966.
Hailing from the Korean peninsula, her birth father was a member of the American military, who returned home shortly after Shirley was born.
"He abandoned us, is the nicest way I can express it," states Shirley, currently in her sixties.
Approximately one year later, Shirley was welcomed into the home of a American pair, who brought her to Texas.
An American Upbringing
She was raised living a life similar to those of most young Americans.
"I lived and breathed and got in trouble similar to other teenage Americans during the eighties. I'm a child of the 80s," Shirley recalls.
Shirley had children, entered matrimony and worked as a piano teacher.
Her life progressed for decades with little cause to doubt her US citizenship.
But then in 2012, her life was turned upside down.
Discovering Non-Citizen Status
She lost her Social Security card and required a new one.
But when she went to her government agency, Shirley was told she had to demonstrate her status in the country.
"I had a little mental breakdown upon discovering I lacked citizenship," she explains.
A Common Issue
Shirley is not alone. Estimates of how many American adoptees lack citizenship range from 18,000 to 75,000.
Dozens adoptees have been removed to their nations of origin in recent years, as reported by advocacy groups.
Additional Account
A different individual, who requested anonymity for concern about attracting the attention of government officials, was adopted by an American couple from Iran in 1973 when she was two years old.
"I settled into my existence, always understanding that I was a US national. That's what I was told. I still believe that today," she says.
Legal Background
For decades, intercountry adoptions approved by courts and government agencies did not assure US citizenship.
The Child Citizenship Act of 2000 made some headway in addressing this issue, granting automatic citizenship to children adopted from abroad.
Present Concerns
Those fears for adopted individuals and their relatives have risen even further following shifts in administration.
Adoptee rights groups say they have been flooded with assistance inquiries and some adoptees have disappeared from public view.
"When the election results were announced, it started to really cascade with requests for help," said an attorney specializing in adoptee cases.
Stateless Feeling
"At the end of the day, they don't care about your personal history. They don't care that your presence is lawful and it's merely documentation issues," she said.
"I frequently explain this one single piece of paper has essentially just ruined my life," she stated.
"From my perspective currently, I feel stateless."
Potential Solution
Despite adoptees being left in limbo for many years, attorneys believe it is simply a matter of political will that should gain bipartisan support from across the political spectrum.
"It should be a straightforward fix: adopted children should be equal to their natural brothers and sisters of guardians who were US citizens at the time of birth," said a legal advocate.
Final Plea
Shirley wishes she could meet with national leaders for a discussion, so she and similar individuals could explain their stories.
"I would ask him to show understanding. We're not illegal aliens," she said.
"We were put on planes as infants and young children. Just please hear our story and honor with the promise that the United States gave each one of the children that got on those planes: American citizenship."
