One adoptee was just a year old when she was adopted by a American couple during 1966.
Born in the Korean peninsula, her birth father served of the American military, who returned home soon after Shirley was born.
"He abandoned us, is the nicest way I can put it," says Shirley, now 61.
After around a year, Shirley was welcomed into the home of a American pair, who took her back to the Lone Star State.
An American Upbringing
She was raised living a life similar to those of most American youths.
"I lived and breathed and got in trouble like many American teenagers during the eighties. I belong of the 80s," Shirley recalls.
Shirley had children, got married and worked as a piano teacher.
Life carried on for decades with no reason to question her US citizenship.
However in 2012, her life was turned upside down.
Discovering Non-Citizen Status
She misplaced her Social Security card and needed a replacement.
But when she went to her government agency, Shirley was informed she had to demonstrate her legal standing in the country.
"I experienced an emotional collapse upon discovering I wasn't a citizen," she says.
Widespread Problem
Shirley is not alone. Approximations 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 recent years, as reported by adoptee rights organizations.
Another Story
A different individual, who requested anonymity for fear of attracting the attention of government officials, was adopted by an American couple from Iran in 1973 when she was just a toddler.
"I settled into my existence, always understanding that I was a US national. That was what I learned. I continue to feel that today," she says.
Historical Context
For decades, international adoptions authorized through courts and government agencies did not assure US citizenship.
The Child Citizenship Act of 2000 created progress in rectifying this, granting automatic citizenship to international adoptees.
Current Fears
Those fears for adopted individuals and their relatives have risen even further since shifts in administration.
Advocacy organizations say they have been flooded with requests for help and certain individuals 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 adoption law.
Lacking National Identity
"Ultimately, they don't care about your back story. They don't care that your presence is lawful and it's just a paperwork error," she said.
"I frequently explain this one single piece of paper has fundamentally damaged my life," she stated.
"From my perspective right now, I feel stateless."
Possible Resolution
Despite adoptees being in legal uncertainty for many years, legal experts believe it is simply a matter of legislative action that should gain bipartisan support from across the political spectrum.
"It should be an uncomplicated solution: adopted children should be equal to their natural brothers and sisters of parents who were American nationals at the moment of their birth," commented an attorney.
Final Plea
The adoptee hopes she could meet with national leaders for a discussion, so she and similar individuals could share their experiences.
"I would ask him to please have some compassion. We're not illegal aliens," she stated.
"We were put on planes as infants and young children. Just please hear our accounts and honor with the commitment that the United States made to every of the children that got on those planes: US nationality."
