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Senators Co-Sponsor Bill Designed to Protect Transnational Adoptees from Deportation

Members of the Senate are sponsoring a bill that seeks to provide citizenship to transnational adoptees who were never properly nationalized. One such adoptee is Adam Crasper, who was adopted from Korea as an infant. Because Crasper’s adoptive parents never completed the appropriate filings, Crasper was never naturalized, and is now facing deportation despite the fact that he grew up in the United States and has been in the country for over thirty-five years.

The problem here lies in who is responsible for the completion of the naturalization paperwork. Adoptees who came to the United States at such a young age had no way to know that such paperwork was required, and are only finding out now because they are at risk of deportation. To help rectify the situation, Congress promulgated the Child Citizenship Act in 2000, providing automatic citizenship for transnational adoptees so long as the following conditions were met:

  • The child has a parent who is a U.S. citizen by birth or naturalization;
  • The child is under 18 years of age;
  • And the child is residing in or has resided in the United States in the legal and physical custody of the U.S. citizen (parent) pursuant to a lawful admission for permanent residence.

While the Child Citizenship Act provides some protection to those who immigrated to the United States at a young age, the age requirement is a problem for many individuals seeking citizenship. To help transnational adoptees who are now over the age of 18, Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) are co-sponsoring a bill that would amend the act and provide retroactive citizenship to those, such as Crasper, who are facing deportation because proper paperwork was never filed.

Adults who were adopted from foreign countries are seeking support from both sides of the political aisle.

For more information about citizenship for adoptees, reach out to the San Diego immigration lawyers at KS Visa Law. We are a local and trusted San Diego law firm that specializes in immigration cases. Call us at 858-874-0711 and request your free immigration consultation today.

February 2025
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