International adoptees to the United States didn’t get “automatic” citizenship until the Child Citizenship Act of 2000, and that was only for adoptees 18 and younger. Many international adoptees from many different countries are without citizenship–folks in their 30’s on through their 80’s and beyond, Some know they don’t have citizenship, and they are worried. Some assume they are citizens. Some have been deported because they did not, for whatever variety of reasons, obtain citizenship.

Please join Adoptees For Justice and KAAN for a community call on Wednesday, January 28th at 5pm PT/ 8pm ET.

“We’ll discuss ways to increase outreach for the Protect Adoptees and American Families (PAAF) Act and share updates about plans and programs for 2026. 

This event is free and open to adoptees, adoptive parents and family members, and allies.”

The link to register is here.

The Protect Adoptees and American Families Act (PAAF) is the current incarnation of legislation designed to give citizenship to all international adoptees. Info on the PAAF is available here from Adoptees for Justice, and here from Adoptees United.

I hope that many adoptive parents will join this effort, including parents whose children are young, parents whose children are well into adulthood, and parents whose children (whatever age) have full proof of citizenship. We need your help in making sure all international adoptees have citizenship.

Additional Information:

From Associated Press: “Thousands of children adopted by Americans are without citizenship. Congress is unwilling to act.“

From KPBS: “Adoptees without US citizenship now risk deportation.”

From Asian American Life, a video: “For tens of thousands of international adoptees, U.S. #citizenship wasn’t guaranteed when they were adopted by their American families”