We’ve all seen the questions posed that way by prospective and adoptive parents. The intent is so this generation of adoptees grow up with mindful parents…
Now prospective and adoptive parents can return the favor so many adoptees have given them, so many times over the years, in many different ways. They need everyone’s help to stop adoptees being deported, fearing deportation, whose parents, for whatever reason, failed to secure citizenship for them before they turned 18.
Yesterday, Adam Crasper lost his appeal to stop his deportation.
Take action and contact your legislators and tell them to make S2275, Adoptee Citizenship Act their priority to see passed now. Adoptees, always ever so helpful have created the easiest way possible for you to do in minutes. 5 Minutes out of your day. Call Congress: Pass the Adoptee Citizenship Act Now! Follow the script noted in the link so everyone has the same message.
Take to twitter and tag your Senator and Representative, post on Facebook and ask your friends to take action, post the link above. Adoptees lacking citizenship is disgraceful and harmful to them and to adoption.
Please don’t just feel bad, nod your head, or question why any adoptees were left out of the ACA 2000 that retroactively gave citizenship to only adoptees under the age of 18 on a specific date*. None of that matters, all that matters is that you act to stop more adoptees from being deported back to their home countries because their parents failed to secure their right to citizenship in the country they were adopted to.
*Edited to help clarify the criteria that left certain adoptees behind based on my understanding.
The adopted ones blog 
My Perfect Breakdown
October 26, 2016 at 5:23 pm
As a parent who has done international adoption (we are in Canada not the usa) the very first thing we are doing once our son’s adoption is finalized is getting his citizenship completed. To us, it only makes sense and I just don’t understand why anyone wouldn’t complete that step. Yes it’s more paperwork and I totally get that at this point we are sick of paperwork, but we want to make sure our son has all the right associated with Canadian citizenship. I just don’t get why anyone wouldn’t do this!
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TAO
October 26, 2016 at 5:30 pm
Decades ago – many parents didn’t understand, no internet, adoption groups, adoption agencies that didn’t educate well enough, or just didn’t care cuz the adoption was done…so many reasons. Apparently, when the ACA 2000 happened, an amendment happened and the result was a group left behind. So many different reasons, including the green card they may have assumed was good enough, didn’t have an expiry date on it, but it did have an expiry date…it’s a mess. Not the adoptee’s fault, the path to citizenship for the visa ended when they turned 18….<-my understanding…
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My Perfect Breakdown
October 26, 2016 at 5:55 pm
Absolutely not the adoptees fault!!! I firmly believe this is the responsibility of the parents.
Regardless, the whole situation today is just such a shame!
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Tara-Anita
October 26, 2016 at 6:10 pm
I agree TAO limited information, no internet, adoption groups etc. I also think some adoptive parents don’t think it important at the time. They believe once adopted the child is theirs no matter what. They have time and could ‘always’ get it straight ‘later’. Well my later came at an unexpected moment. I’m Canadian adopted by Bahamian parents. I didn’t get my passport or Bahamian citizenship straight until a situation arose at the airport. Back then at 7/8 years of age, traveling under the guardianship of the airline stewardess from Canada back to the Bahamas. I was detained in the immigration office with the threat of being deported or put into the care of social services. My AP had to come to the airport to prove adoption. That’s when I got straight with citizenship.
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TAO
October 26, 2016 at 6:38 pm
Wow – that must have been scary. Thanks for sharing.
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flrpwll
October 27, 2016 at 2:46 am
I’ll admit to having real trouble wrapping my head around this.
Being adopted is supposed to be “as if born to”, isn’t it? Especially for those adopted before 2000. So why would they even need citizenship? I would have thought it was automatic.
Despite all of the bleating “Adopted parents are the *real*parents*”, which the government is really strong on, in the end apparently they’re not after all.
I think it’s the hypocrisy that boggles me the most. Gaining accurate information is difficult as hell, all due to government regulations (different branches of gov. but still), and heaven help you if you want identifying info … but citizenship still needs to be applied for?
Out of curiosity, if a baby is born to natural US parents while overseas, does that baby have the same problem with citizenship?
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TAO
October 27, 2016 at 3:19 am
Not if they register the birth with embassy in the country.
I *think* there was an amendment made to the ACA 2000 because *some* were afraid extending it to adoptees who were over 18 on a certain date might not really be adoptees (you know, despite all the USIC immigration paperwork and adoption paperwork)…don’t quote me on that as it’s only what I was told. Sadly even back then it doesn’t surprise me if that is the case…
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Nara
October 29, 2016 at 9:38 pm
I’m absolutely gobsmacked this still hasn’t been sorted. And I don’t know why it wasn’t retrospectively applied. As far as I’m concerned, APs who didn’t sort out citizenship for their adoptees should be prosecuted. It is abuse to take a child away from their country of birth and bring them up in a country but deny them citizenship. Makes me sick.
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TAO
October 29, 2016 at 10:40 pm
Agree, the apathy of the adoption community to push to get it fixed also makes me mad…they are always worried if the are real parents, real families – and now they have a chance to prove adoption is valid and they aren’t doing anything meaningful at all…it makes me sick. This mess of legislation dates back to 2001…sigh…and even an adoptee in the UK knows about it, AP’s here keep being amazed this is possible. Can you tell I’m mad? How are you keeping?
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Nara
October 29, 2016 at 10:47 pm
I’m totally amazed that it hasn’t been sorted, and also… APs seem to be doing nothing about it! They’re all over the forums like a rash but not willing to advocate for older versions of their adopted kids. It’s sickening. I’ve signed whatever I have found to sign, but American citizens need to get bothered about this! You can’t say adoptees are “illegal immigrants”. They should have the same rights as bios.
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