Shirley Chung was only twelve months when she was adopted by a US family back in 1966.
Born in South Korea, her birth father was a member of the US armed forces, who went back soon after Shirley was born.
"He left us behind, is the nicest way I can express it," says Shirley, currently in her sixties.
After around a year, Shirley was welcomed into the home of a US couple, who brought her to Texas.
An American Upbringing
Shirley grew up living a life comparable with that of many American youths.
"I lived and breathed and found mischief like many American teenagers during the eighties. I'm a child of the 80s," Shirley says.
Shirley had children, got married and became a music instructor.
Her life progressed for many years with little cause to doubt her US citizenship.
However in 2012, her life was turned upside down.
Citizenship Crisis
She lost her Social Security card and needed a replacement.
However when she visited her local Social Security office, Shirley was told she needed to prove her legal standing in the country.
"I experienced a little mental breakdown after finding out I lacked citizenship," she says.
Widespread Problem
Shirley is not alone. Approximations of how many US adopted individuals lack citizenship range from thousands to tens of thousands.
Dozens adopted individuals have been deported to their countries of birth in recent years, as reported by adoptee rights organizations.
Another Story
Another woman, preferring to remain unnamed for fear of drawing notice of government officials, was adopted by an American couple from Iran in 1973 when she was just a toddler.
"I settled into my life, always understanding that I was an American citizen. That's what I was told. I continue to feel that today," she says.
Historical Context
For decades, intercountry adoptions authorized through courts and government agencies did not assure US citizenship.
The Children's Citizenship Law of 2000 made some headway in rectifying this, granting automatic citizenship to international adoptees.
Current Fears
Those fears for adopted individuals and their families have risen even further since recent political changes.
Advocacy organizations say they have been flooded with assistance inquiries and certain individuals have disappeared from public view.
"Following political outcomes came in, it started to really cascade with requests for help," noted an attorney working with adoptee cases.
Lacking National Identity
"At the end of the day, they don't care about your back story. They're not interested that you're legally here and it's merely documentation issues," she said.
"I always tell people that one document of paper has fundamentally damaged my life," she stated.
"From my perspective right now, I feel without a country."
Possible Resolution
Although these individuals being left in limbo for many years, legal experts believe it is simply a matter of political will that should gain bipartisan support from across the political spectrum.
"It should be an uncomplicated solution: children through adoption should be treated the same as their biological siblings of parents who were US citizens at the time of birth," said a legal advocate.
Final Plea
The adoptee hopes she could meet with national leaders into a room, so she and others like her could share their experiences.
"I would ask him to please have some compassion. We aren't undocumented immigrants," she said.
"We were put on planes as little itty-bitty babies. Please listen to our accounts and please follow through with the commitment that America made to every of the children that were brought here: US nationality."
